Question

Consider the following reactions:

A. titanium-54 emits an alpha particle;

B. vanadium-50 emits an alpha particle;

C. zirconium-93 emits a beta particle.

Rank the resulting nucleus by the number of neutrons, from most to least.

Answer 1

When an alpha particle is emitted, the resulting nucleus will have a decrease of 2 in the atomic number and a decrease of 4 in the atomic weight. The rank of the resulting nucleus by the number of neutrons, from most to least, for the given reactions A, B, and C would be B, A, C.

Step-by-step explanation:

When an alpha particle is emitted, the resulting nucleus will have a decrease of 2 in the atomic number and a decrease of 4 in the atomic weight. This is because an alpha particle is composed of two protons and two neutrons. Therefore, the resulting nucleus will have fewer neutrons compared to the original nucleus. The rank of the resulting nucleus by the number of neutrons, from most to least, for the given reactions A, B, and C would be:

1. B. vanadium-50 emits an alpha particle
2. A. titanium-54 emits an alpha particle
3. C. zirconium-93 emits a beta particle