College Chemistry : Radioactive Decay

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for College Chemistry

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Example Questions

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Example Question #71 : Introductory Topics

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

This is a question regarding radioactive decay, specifically alpha decay. An alpha particle has the same identity as the nucleus of a  atom, or . To solve this problem, we must perform simple addition and subtraction.

, and . So, the two new numbers become  and , eliminating one of the answer choices. Next, we must remember that the bottom number, in this case , signifies atomic number. Atomic number defines the identity of the element. So, we must find the element with the atomic number , which is .

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