Answer : An alpha particle has 2 protons and 2 neutrons.
To determine if the nuclear reaction is balanced, we need to check that the number of protons and the mass numbers (sum of protons and neutrons) are conserved on both sides of the equation.
The given nuclear equation is:
219/86 Rn → 215/84 Po+a
An alpha particle is represented by the symbol a and has 2 protons and 2 neutrons, which means its mass number is 4 and its atomic number (number of protons) is 2. Now let's check the balance of the reaction: For the mass numbers (top numbers), on the left side we have 219 (from 219 Rn).
On the right side, we should add the mass number of polonium (215) and the mass number of the alpha particle (4).
If the reaction is balanced, the sum should equal the mass number on the left side.
For the atomic numbers (bottom numbers), on the left side we have 86 (from 36 Rn). On the right side, we should add the atomic number of polonium (84) and the atomic number of the alpha particle (2). If the reaction is balanced, the sum should equal the atomic number on the left side.
Both the mass numbers and atomic numbers are equal on both sides of the equation, so the reaction is balanced.
2 Alpha Particle Composition:
An alpha particle has 2 protons and 2 neutrons.
Therefore, the correct statement is: An alpha particle has 2 protons and 2 neutrons.
