Question

The discharge of alpha particle reduces the number of protons by ____.

a. 1.
b. 2.
c. 3.
d. 4.
e. 5

Answer 1

The discharge of an alpha particle reduces the number of protons by 2, represented in an alpha particle composed of two protons and two neutrons with a 2+ charge.

Step-by-step explanation:

The discharge of an alpha particle reduces the number of protons by 2. An alpha particle is composed of two protons and two neutrons, and hence has a 2+ charge. It is represented by the chemical symbol for helium (He) without the electrons. In the process of alpha decay, not only does the number of protons decrease by 2, reflecting the loss of the helium nucleus, but the mass number of the atom also decreases by 4 (accounting for the two protons and two neutrons). For example, in the alpha decay of uranium-238 to thorium-234, the uranium atom loses an alpha particle, resulting in a thorium atom with an atomic number two less than uranium's and a mass number four less.