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radioactive series

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.


radioactive series

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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of radioactive series1

First recorded in 1920–25
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Example Sentences

"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."

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