A student writes out an equation to represent a fission reaction. How can the student check that the equation is correctly written?
A. The mass number of the products should be equal to the atomic number of the products.
B. The total number of the reactants should be equal to the total number of the products.
C. The total number of atoms in the products should be equal to the number of atoms in the reactants.
D. The number of atoms of each element should be the same in the products ans reactants.
D. The number of atoms of each element should be the same in the products and reactants.
To check if the equation for a fission reaction is correctly written, the student can consider the following criteria:
D. The number of atoms of each element should be the same in the products and reactants.
In a balanced chemical equation, the number of atoms of each element should be equal on both sides of the reaction arrow. This helps ensure that mass is conserved, as no atoms are created or destroyed during a chemical reaction.
So, the correct answer is D. The number of atoms of each element should be the same in the products and reactants.
To check if a student has correctly written an equation to represent a fission reaction, we need to consider some key principles. Here's how the student can check their equation:
A. The mass number of the products should be equal to the atomic number of the products:
In a fission reaction, a heavy nucleus splits into two smaller nuclei. The mass number is the sum of protons and neutrons in a nucleus. To check this, the student should calculate the mass numbers of the products and compare them to the atomic number of each product. If they are equal, then this criterion is satisfied.
B. The total number of the reactants should be equal to the total number of the products:
In a balanced equation, the number of atoms on the reactant side should be equal to the number of atoms on the product side. The student can count the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation and compare them. If they are equal, then this criterion is satisfied.
C. The total number of atoms in the products should be equal to the number of atoms in the reactants:
Similar to the previous criterion, the student should count the total number of atoms (of all elements) on both sides of the equation and compare them. If they are equal, then this criterion is satisfied.
D. The number of atoms of each element should be the same in the products and reactants:
In a balanced equation, the number of atoms of each element (represented by their chemical symbols) should be the same on both sides of the equation. The student should count the number of atoms of each element on both sides and compare them. If they are the same, then this criterion is satisfied.
By carefully considering these principles, the student can check if their equation is correctly written. If all the above criteria are satisfied, then the equation represents a valid and balanced fission reaction.