Question

If an atom of sodium combines with (captures) an alpha particle that has 2 protons and 2 neutrons, its new mass number will be

Answer 1

27 Amu Is The Answer To This Problem

Answer 2

The mass number of a certain atom is the combined number of proton and neutrons. For a sodium atom, the number of proton is 11 and the number of neutron is also 11 (if this sodium is neutral). Thus, the mass number is 22. Then, there combines another particle with 2 protons and 2 neutrons, the new mass number is equal to 26.