What kind of decay is electron capture a type of?
alpha decay
gamma decay
gradual decay
beta decay
since we use the masses of neutral atoms. Electron capture is the third type of beta decay. Here, a nucleus captures an inner-shell electron and undergoes a nuclear + reaction that has the same effect as β decay. Electron capture is sometimes denoted by the letters EC. We know that electrons cannot reside in the nucleus, but this is a nuclear reaction that consumes the electron and occurs spontaneously only when the products have less mass than the parent plus the electron. If a nuclide ZA X N is known to undergo electron capture, then its electron capture equation is A Z XN.