In 1994 a team of German physicists created an atom of Element 110.If the atom had a mass number of 269,and a neutron was released from the collision of a Ni-62 projectile and a target nucleus,what was the target nucleus?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The mass number of the resulting atom is 269, which means that the sum of the mass numbers of the projectile and the target nucleus must be 269. Since the projectile is Ni-62 (mass number of 62), the target nucleus must have a mass number of 269-62=207. The only option with a mass number of 207 is C)Pb-207, but the question states that a neutron was released from the collision, which means that the resulting atom must have one fewer neutron than the target nucleus. The only option with a mass number of 208 (one more neutron than the resulting atom) is D)Pb-208, which must have had a neutron knocked out during the collision to produce an atom of Element 110 with a mass number of 269. Therefore, the correct answer is D)Pb-208.

In 1994 a Team of German Physicists Created an Atom