The correct statement regarding a nuclear fusion reaction is:
The product has more mass than the reactants because some mass is converted into energy.
In fusion reactions, when two light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, some of the mass of the reactants is converted into energy (according to Einstein's equation \(E=mc^2\)). This energy is released during the fusion process. However, it's important to note that the product typically has less mass than the total mass of the reactants due to this mass-energy conversion, not more.
The first statement about the atomic numbers also has complexities, as the atomic number of the product is usually the sum of the atomic numbers of the reactants, but this may not apply in every fusion reaction scenario.
The other statements are not generally true:
- The product can be an element found in nature.
- The number of particles in the product may not necessarily be greater than the number of particles in the reactants, as particles can combine into fewer particles during a fusion reaction.
So the accurate statements are nuanced and need careful consideration of the specific fusion reaction being referred to.