How do I find x and y in the following equation:
222. 4
86 Rn - 2 He + X
228. 0
-1 e. + y
88ra
I can't decipher what you have because of the spacing and extra lines. Do this. Write the atomic number FIRST, then the element symbol, then the mass number. For example, Radon 222 would be written as 86Rn222; the alpha particle (He nucleus) is 2He4, etc.
I think you may have
86Rn222 - 2He4 + but the rest of it I don't see. Unless it may be TWO problems. The first one may be
86Rn222 - 2He4 ==> X. If that's the first question, just make the numbers to left add up on both sides and the numbers on the right add up on both sides. In chemical terms you are making the atomic numbers add on (the left numbers) and the mass numbers add up (the right numbers).
86Rn222 - 2He4 ==> 84X218, then you look on the periodic table and see that element number 84 is Po.
To find the values of x and y in the given equation, we need to balance the atomic numbers and mass numbers of both sides of the equation.
Let's break down the equation and determine the atomic and mass numbers on each side:
On the left side of the equation:
Atomic Number: 86 (Rn)
Mass Number: 222 (Rn)
On the right side of the equation:
Atomic Number: 2 (He)
Mass Number: 4 (He)
Now, let's balance the atomic numbers:
Rn (86) = Ra (88) + He (2) + X
From the equation, we can see that X must be 86 - 88 = -2.
Next, let's balance the mass numbers:
222 = 228 + 4 + 0 + Y
From this equation, we can see that Y must be 222 - 228 - 4 = -10.
Therefore, the values of x and y in the equation are:
x = -2
y = -10