Question

Which of the following is/are not radioactive element(s)?
(this question has multiple correct options)
A.Sulphur
B.Tellurium
C.Selenium
D.Polonium

Answer 1

Hint: Radioactivity can be understood as a property that is exhibited by certain substances, which causes these substances to spontaneously emit energy and subatomic particles. As the number of subatomic particles in an atom increases, the atom becomes heavier and the nucleus becomes more unstable. This instability in the nucleus causes it to spontaneously undergo decomposition. This decomposition of this unstable nucleus results in the formation of more stable compounds which have more stable configurations.

Complete Step-by-Step Answer:
Before we move forward with the solution of this question, let us first understand some important basic concepts.
Now, radioactive elements may have some stable isotopes while the other isotopes are radioactive. There are mainly 2 types of radioactive elements: natural radioactive elements and synthetic radioactive elements.
Natural radioactive elements are found as radioisotopes in the form of ores or compounds that are often deep underground or underwater. On the other hand, synthetic radioactive elements are created in laboratories by using nuclear reactors and particle accelerators. However, we use various approaches to create fresh components. Besides, sometimes we put the elements inside a nuclear reactor where the response neutrons interact with the sample to create the essential products. Atoms with smaller nuclei are bombarded with subatomic particles to change the nuclear composition of the atom used. This results I the formation of heavier and radioactive atoms.

Radioactive elements are usually found in the lower right part of the periodic table. Out of the given options. Sulphur belongs to period 3 and hence is a very light element as compared to the other elements in the list. If you observe the periodic table, you can see that all the other elements mentioned are very heavy and are hence radioactive in nature.
Hence, Options B, C, D are the correct options

Note: Radioactive elements that are found naturally can prove to be toxic for the surrounding biological life. Open exposure to radioactive elements can cause various types of damage to a living creature like radioactive burns, DNA alteration, Cancer, etc.