College

Dear beloved readers, welcome to our website! We hope your visit here brings you valuable insights and meaningful inspiration. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and explore the content we've prepared for you.
------------------------------------------------ What is the product of an atom of Francium-221 after alpha decay?

A. Radium-221
B. Astatine-217
C. Radon-221
D. Francium-221

Answer :

Final answer:

The product of Francium-221 after alpha decay is Astatine-217. During alpha decay, an alpha particle is emitted, reducing the mass number by 4 and the atomic number by 2. This results in an isotope of Astatine with the values 217 (mass) and 85 (atomic number).


Explanation:

Understanding Alpha Decay of Francium-221

When considering the alpha decay of an atom of Francium-221 (221Fr), it's important to recognize what happens during this type of nuclear decay. An alpha particle, which consists of 2 protons and 2 neutrons (essentially a helium nucleus, 4He), is emitted. This process causes the atomic number of the original atom to decrease by 2 and the mass number to decrease by 4.

Thus, we perform the following calculations:

  1. Starting from the original Francium-221, we subtract 4 from the mass number (221 - 4 = 217).
  2. For the atomic number, we subtract 2 (87 - 2 = 85).

The resulting isotope from this decay has a mass number of 217 and an atomic number of 85, which corresponds to the element Astatine (represented as 217At).

Therefore, the product of an atom of Francium-221 after alpha decay is the isotope Astatine-217.


Learn more about alpha decay here:

https://brainly.com/question/27870937