In 2010 a team of German physicists created an atom of Element 117.If the atom had a mass number of 294,and three neutrons were released from the collision of a Ca-48 projectile and a target nucleus,what was the target nucleus?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

For an atom of Element 117 with a mass number of 294, there must be 117 protons. Since three neutrons were released in the collision, the resulting nucleus must have 291 protons and neutrons. The projectile was Ca-48, which has 20 protons and 28 neutrons, so a total of 48 nucleons. Therefore, the target nucleus must have had 243 (291-48) nucleons. The only option with 243 nucleons is Bk-249, which has 97 protons and 152 neutrons. Fm-246 has 98 protons and 148 neutrons, and Fm-249 has 98 protons and 151 neutrons, so they are not possible target nuclei.

In 2010 a Team of German Physicists Created an Atom