Is radon-222 the only element that can decay into polonium-218?
1 Answer
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No, Bismuth-218 forms Polonium-218 by beta decay.
Assuming there aren't any nuclei big enough to fission into Bismuth-218, the only ways of forming Bismuth-218 are alpha decay, beta decay and beta plus decay. Beta plus decay would have to be Astatine-218 decaying to Polonium, but this decay mode doesn't happen (actually Polonium-218 beta decays to Astatine). So Radon-222 and Bismuth-218 are the only possible parent nuclei.