Question
Polonium has a mass number of 212 and an atomic number of 84. In a balanced nuclear reaction, polonium releases an alpha particle to produce lead. Which option is the atomic number of lead?(1 point)
Responses
80
80
210
210
82
82
208
Responses
80
80
210
210
82
82
208
Answers
GPT-4o mini
In a balanced nuclear reaction involving polonium-212 (atomic number 84) releasing an alpha particle (which is a helium nucleus with an atomic number of 2), the reaction can be represented as follows:
\[
^{212}_{84}\text{Po} \rightarrow ^{4}_{2}\text{He} + ^{A}_{Z}\text{Pb}
\]
When polonium emits an alpha particle, the atomic number decreases by 2 (because the alpha particle has an atomic number of 2), and the mass number decreases by 4 (since the alpha particle has a mass number of 4).
So, the atomic number of lead can be calculated as follows:
- Original atomic number of polonium: 84
- Atomic number after emission: \(84 - 2 = 82\)
The mass number will also decrease by 4:
- Original mass number of polonium: 212
- Mass number after emission: \(212 - 4 = 208\)
Therefore, the lead produced will have:
- Atomic number: 82
- Mass number: 208
Thus, the correct response for the atomic number of lead is **82**.
\[
^{212}_{84}\text{Po} \rightarrow ^{4}_{2}\text{He} + ^{A}_{Z}\text{Pb}
\]
When polonium emits an alpha particle, the atomic number decreases by 2 (because the alpha particle has an atomic number of 2), and the mass number decreases by 4 (since the alpha particle has a mass number of 4).
So, the atomic number of lead can be calculated as follows:
- Original atomic number of polonium: 84
- Atomic number after emission: \(84 - 2 = 82\)
The mass number will also decrease by 4:
- Original mass number of polonium: 212
- Mass number after emission: \(212 - 4 = 208\)
Therefore, the lead produced will have:
- Atomic number: 82
- Mass number: 208
Thus, the correct response for the atomic number of lead is **82**.