Question

Write a nuclear equation for the fusion of two h−2 atoms to form he−3 and one neutron.

Answer 1

The nuclear equation that represents the fusion of two H-2 atoms to form He-3 and one neutron is:

• 
  `^2_1H+^2_1H{->}^3_2He+^1_0n`

Step-by-step explanation:

In a nuclear reaction the nuclides are represented with the chemical symbol preceded by a superscript that represents the mass number (number of protons plus neutrons) and a subscript that represents the atomic number (number of protons).

H-2 is the isotope of hydrogen with 1 proton and 1 neutron, so it is represented as:

• 
  `^2_1H`

He-3 is the isotope of helium with 2 protons and 1 neuron, so it is represented as:

• 
  `^3_2He`

The neutron is represented as:

• 
  `^1_0n`

With that, you represent the nuclear equation for the fusion of two H-2 atoms to form He-3 and one neutron as follows:

• 
  `^2_1H+^2_1H{->}^3_2He+^1_0n`

The clue is to check the balance of both mass numbers and atomic numbers:

• Mass numbers: 2 + 2 = 3 + 1

• Atomic numbers: 1 + 1 = 2 + 0