The 210 isotope of the element with atomic number 82 undergoes emission of an alpha particle.?

Question

What are the
following for the product?

A. Atomic number B. Mass number C. Name of the product element.

Answer 1

Element 82, isotope 210 means the nucleus has 82 protons, and 210 total nucleons. So, the number of neutrons is 210 - 82 = 128.

An alpha particle is just a helium nucleus, or 2 protons and 2 neutrons. So, after emitting an alpha particle, there are 80 protons and 126 neutrons left.

80 protons (the atomic number) corresponds to the element mercury. Since there are 126 + 80 = 206 total nucleons, the atom is now "mercury 206", which is just mercury with some extra neutrons that bring the mass number up to 206.

Answer 2

A. 80
B. 206
C. Mercury