Problem

Question 5
An alpha particle is emitted from a radionuclide. What happens to the subsequent nucleon and atomic number number of the new isotope..
A Nucleon number reduces by 4 and the atomic number reduces by 2
B Nucleon number increases by 2 and the atomic number reduces by 4
C Nucleon number reduces by 4 and the atomic number reduces by 4
D Nucleon number reduces by 2 and the atomic number reduces by 2

Answer

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Answer

Final Answer: \(\boxed{\text{A: Nucleon number reduces by 4 and the atomic number reduces by 2}}\)

Steps

Step 1 :An alpha particle consists of 2 protons and 2 neutrons. When a radionuclide emits an alpha particle, it loses these 2 protons and 2 neutrons. This means that the nucleon number (the total number of protons and neutrons) of the radionuclide decreases by 4 and the atomic number (the number of protons) decreases by 2.

Step 2 :Therefore, the correct answer is A: Nucleon number reduces by 4 and the atomic number reduces by 2.

Step 3 :Final Answer: \(\boxed{\text{A: Nucleon number reduces by 4 and the atomic number reduces by 2}}\)

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