Use the equation to answer the question.
2/1H + 2/1H ---> 4/2H + energy
Which statement best describes the mass numbers of the atoms in the reaction?
A. There is one atom with a mass number of 1.
B. There are two atoms with mass number of 1.
C. There are two atoms with mass number of 2.
D. There is one atom with mass number of 2.
C. There are two atoms with a mass number of 2.
To determine the mass numbers of the atoms in the reaction, we need to consider the equation:
2/1H + 2/1H ---> 4/2H + energy
Looking at the equation, we can see that "H" represents hydrogen. The numbers written as subscripts indicate the atomic mass of each hydrogen atom.
In this reaction, on the reactant side (left side of the arrow), we have two atoms of hydrogen with a mass number of 1. So, the statement that best describes the mass numbers of the atoms in the reaction is:
B. There are two atoms with a mass number of 1.
To determine the mass numbers of the atoms in the reaction, we need to understand the meaning of the equation given. The equation represents a nuclear reaction where two hydrogen atoms (H) combine to form a helium atom (H) and release energy.
In this case, we know that the mass number of hydrogen is 1 because that is its atomic mass. Therefore, we can analyze the equation in terms of hydrogen atoms.
On the left side of the equation, there are two hydrogen atoms (H) present. Since the coefficient in front of each H is 2, this means there are two atoms of hydrogen:
2/1H + 2/1H
On the right side of the equation, there is a helium atom (H), which has a mass number of 4. So, there is one atom of helium:
4/2H
Based on this analysis, we can conclude that the statement "There are two atoms with a mass number of 1" is the correct answer. Option B is the correct answer.