Question
Plutonium-238 undergoes alpha decay as shown: (}_{94)^238Puarrow _(Z)^AX+_(2)^4He Enter the appropriate values for A and Z and the chemical symbol for X. A: square z: square x: square
Answer
4.5
(259 Votes)
Franklin
Elite · Tutor for 8 years
Answer
A:
Z:
X:
Explanation
In alpha decay, an alpha particle (which is a helium nucleus,
) is emitted. This reduces the mass number
by 4 and the atomic number
by 2. Therefore, the new element
will have
and
.