Predicting nuclear stability is important when determining whether or not a nuclear reaction can take place spontaneously.
Use the following set of guidelines to predict the nuclear stability of the elements listed below.
1. Stable nuclei have a high neutron-to-proton ratio (greater than 1.25).
2. The majority of stable nuclei have even numbers of neutrons and protons.
3. Nuclei that have atomic numbers greater than 83 are unstable.
137 Cs 55
212 Po 84
30 Pb 15
118 Sn 50