polonium has a mass number of 212 and an atomic number of 84. in a balanced nuclear reaction, polonium releases an alpha particle to produce lead. which option is the atomic number of lead
The atomic number of an element represents the number of protons in its nucleus. When polonium releases an alpha particle, it loses 2 protons and 2 neutrons, resulting in a decrease in the atomic number by 2. Therefore, the atomic number of lead would be 84 - 2 = 82. So, the correct option is 82.
