Curium - 248, ²⁴⁸Cm, was bombarded, yielding Antimony - 116, ¹¹⁶Sb, and Cesium - 160, ¹⁶⁰Cs. What was the bombarding nucleus?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To find the bombarding nucleus, we need to subtract the atomic numbers of the resulting nuclei from the atomic number of the original nucleus. Atomic number of curium = 96 Atomic number of antimony = 51 Atomic number of cesium = 55 96 - 51 - 55 = -10 This means that the bombarding nucleus had an atomic number of 10. All the answer choices contain elements with higher atomic numbers, so they cannot be the bombarding nucleus. Option B, "²⁸Ne," however, contains neon with an atomic number of 10, which is the correct answer.

Curium - 248, 248Cm, Was Bombarded, Yielding Antimony - 116

Curium - 248, ²⁴⁸Cm, Was Bombarded, Yielding Antimony - 116