Certainly! Let's go through the process of determining the stable atom resulting from the decay of Polonium-210.
Polonium-210 ([tex]\(_{84}^{210}Po\)[/tex]) undergoes alpha decay. An alpha particle is a Helium-4 nucleus ([tex]\(_2^4He\)[/tex]), which means it consists of 2 protons and 2 neutrons.
Here's the step-by-step process of alpha decay for Polonium-210:
1. Identify the Parent Nucleus Properties:
- The original nucleus is Polonium-210 ([tex]\(_{84}^{210}Po\)[/tex]).
- It has an atomic number (number of protons) of 84.
- It has a mass number (total number of protons and neutrons) of 210.
2. Alpha Particle Emission:
- When Polonium-210 emits an alpha particle ([tex]\(_2^4He\)[/tex]), it loses 2 protons and 2 neutrons.
- Therefore, the atomic number decreases by 2.
- Similarly, the mass number decreases by 4.
3. Calculate the Resulting Nucleus:
- New atomic number: [tex]\( 84 - 2 = 82 \)[/tex]
- New mass number: [tex]\( 210 - 4 = 206 \)[/tex]
4. Identify the Element with the New Atomic Number:
- The element with an atomic number of 82 is Lead (Pb).
So after the alpha decay, Polonium-210 becomes Lead-206 ([tex]\(_{82}^{206}Pb\)[/tex]).
Thus, the correct answer is:
A. [tex]\(\_{82}^{206}Pb\)[/tex]
Your choice should be:
A. [tex]\(\_{82}^{206}Pb\)[/tex]
