The equation shows a fission reaction:
$${ } _ { 92 } ^ { 235 } \mathrm { U } + { } _ { 0 } ^ { 1 } \mathrm { n } \rightarrow { } _ { 41 } ^ { 99 } \mathrm { Nb } + \mathrm { X } + 4 { } _ { 0 } ^ { 1 } \mathrm { n }$$
What is the missing term $X$ in the equation?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To find the missing term $X$ in the fission reaction, we need to conserve both mass and atomic numbers. The original uranium nucleus has a mass number of 235 and an atomic number of 92. Adding the neutron adds 1 to the mass number but does not change the atomic number. Thus, the total mass number before the reaction is 236, and the total atomic number is 92.After the reaction, we have:- Niobium ($_{41}^{99}\mathrm{Nb}$) with a mass number of 99 and an atomic number of 41.- Four neutrons ($4 \times _{0}^{1}\mathrm{n}$) contributing 4 to the mass number and 0 to the atomic number.To find the missing term $X$, we subtract the known products from the total:- Mass number: $236 - 99 - 4(1) = 133$- Atomic number: $92 - 41 - 4(0) = 51$Therefore, $X$ is $_{51}^{133}\mathrm{Sb}$, which is option D.

The Equation Shows a Fission Reaction What Is the Missing Term