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What happens to an atom's mass number when it ejects an alpha particle?
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
An alpha particle is essentially a 4He nucleus, 2 protons and 2 neutrons, one of the most stable configurations of protons and neutrons possible. So if an atom spits out 2 protons and 2 neutrons in an alpha particle, it must lose 2 protons and 2 neutrons from its own particle count. If you consider that the mass number is just the sum of protons and neutrons, then you can see that the mass number will simply decrease by 4. However what's really interesting is that in general, the mass (not mass number) of the atom decreases by just a little more than the mass of 2 protons and 2 neutrons. That missing mass goes into the famous E=mc2 equation to be the energy with which the alpha particle leaves (also some energy will be in the recoil of the nucleus emitting it, but for heavy atoms usually this is fairly small.)
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoMass drops by 4 Atomic Mass units and it transforms to element 2 steps left on Periodic Table.
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When uranium (92 proton) ejects an beta particle how many protons does the remaining nucleus have?
90 protons
Describe what happens to the proton number and the mass number when an alpha particle is emitted by a nucleus?
Proton number is decreased by two while mass number is decreased by four. Since alpha particle is similiar to helium nucleus.
Does alpha particles have less mass the beta particles?
An alpha particle is two protons and two neutrons (same as a Helium nucleus) so when a nucleus ejects an alpha it will defintely have less mass. Also it will be a new element because it has two less protons.
When radium emits an alpha particle the resulting nucleus has atomic number?
The result is radon, atomic number 86. 226Ra - alpha particle = 222Rn (radon, a radioactive gas)
The nucleus of a helium atom is called?
The nucleus of a helium atom is called an alpha particle. The electromagnetic waves emitted by a nucleus are called gamma rays.
When uranium (92 proton) ejects an beta particle how many protons does the remaining nucleus have?
90 protons
What happens to a radioactive nucleus when it emits alpha particle and What happens to a radioactive nucleus when it emits alpha particle?
dude..
Describe what happens to the proton number and the mass number when an alpha particle is emitted by a nucleus?
Proton number is decreased by two while mass number is decreased by four. Since alpha particle is similiar to helium nucleus.
What happens to the number of protons when U-238 emits an alpha particle?
The number of protons decreases by 2.
What happens to atomic number and atomic mass of an atom that emits alpha particle?
An alpha particle is a positively charged nuclear particle consisting of two protons bound to two neutrons. The atomic number of an atom decreases by 2 and the mass number decreases by approximately 4 when an alpha particle is ejected.
What is the change in the atomic number when the atom emits an alpha particle?
The atomic number will decrease by 2, the number of protons in the emitted alpha particle. An alpha particle is a helium-4 nuclei with two protons and two neutrons.
What happens to the atomic number of an element if it emits 1 alpha particle and 1 beta particles?
It drops 2
What happens to the atomic number when an alpha particle is given off?
Alpha emission in an atom reduces its atomic number by two. A link can be found below to the related question about what alpha decay is.
What happens to a positively-charged alpha particle that comes near the positively charged nucleus?
This particle is rejected.
What happens to a positively-charge alpha particle that comes near the positively-charged nucleus?
This particle will be rejected.
Does alpha particles have less mass the beta particles?
An alpha particle is two protons and two neutrons (same as a Helium nucleus) so when a nucleus ejects an alpha it will defintely have less mass. Also it will be a new element because it has two less protons.
If radium 226 releases an alpha particle what is mass number of isotope formed?
Radium 226--------alpha particle-------- Radon 222
