What is K-electron capture?

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Answer 1 · 2015-09-17T19:16:30

K-electron capture is the capture of a $1 s$ $1s$ electron by the nucleus of an unstable isotope.

Electron capture occurs when the nucleus of an unstable isotope captures an inner-orbital electron.

In the process, a proton combines with the electron and forms a neutron, and an X-ray is released in the process.

The atomic number decreases by one unit, but the mass number remains unchanged.

The captured electron usually comes from the $1 s$ $1s$ or $2 s$ $2s$ orbitals, because these are closest to the nucleus.

If the electron comes from the $1 s$ $1s$ level (the K-shell), the process is called K-electron capture.

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Capture from the $n = 2$ $n=2$ level is called L-electron capture, and so on.