Bombardment of boron-10 with a projectile particle produces a nitrogen-14 atom and a gamma ray. What is the projectile particle?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The sum of the mass numbers (10 + 1) is equal to the mass number of nitrogen-14 (14). Therefore, the projectile particle must have a mass number of 4. The only particle with a mass number of 4 is an alpha particle, which is a combination of two protons and two neutrons. Additionally, the emission of a gamma ray indicates that the nucleus is in an excited state, which is typical after the emission of an alpha particle.

Bombardment of Boron-10 with a Projectile Particle Produces a Nitrogen-14