Uses of Francium Commercially, there are no uses for francium, due to its rarity and instability. It is used for research purposes only.
Francium Decay Francium’s isotopes, with mass numbers ranging from 200 to 232, most commonly undergo alpha- or beta-decay. Here are just a few examples of francium’s decay paths: Francium-223 is the element’s longest lived isotope. It has a half-life of 22 minutes. It can emit an alpha-particle (a helium nucleus) to form astatine-219 or a beta-particle to form radium-223. (A beta-particle is an electron which is emitted from a nucleus when a neutron converts to a proton.) Francium-221 has a half-life of 5 minutes. It can emit an alpha-particle to form astatine-217 or a beta-particle to become radium-221. Francium-216 has a half-life of 0.7 microseconds. It can emit an alpha-particle to form astatine-212 or a positron to form radon-216. Francium-212 has a half-life of 19 minutes. It can emit an alpha-particle to form astatine-208 or capture an orbital electron to form radon-212. (2) (During orbital electron capture, the nucleus captures one of the atom’s own electrons and emits a neutrino.)