radioactive series

American  

noun

Physics, Chemistry.

1. a succession of elements initiated in the radioactive decay of a parent, as thorium or uranium, each of which decays into the next until a stable element, usually lead, is produced.

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radioactive series British  

noun

1. physics a series of nuclides each of which undergoes radioactive decay into the next member of the series, ending with a stable element, usually lead See uranium series neptunium series thorium series actinium series

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Etymology

Origin of radioactive series

First recorded in 1920–25

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

radioactive series

"This is the metal we're going to attack, uranium—the parent of radium—and the whole radioactive series, ending with the end-product lead."

From The Man Who Rocked the Earth by Robert Williams Wood

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