Use the equation to complete the activity 219/86Rn—215/84Po+a
The nuclear equation shows the transmutation of a form of radon into polonium and an alpha particle. In
one or two sentences explain whether or not the reaction is balanced
The reaction is not balanced because the total number of protons and neutrons on the left side of the equation (219 protons + 86 neutrons) does not equal the total number of protons and neutrons on the right side (215 protons + 84 neutrons + 4 protons + 2 neutrons).
To determine if the reaction is balanced, we need to check if the total number of protons and the total number of nucleons (protons + neutrons) are conserved before and after the reaction.
To determine if the nuclear equation is balanced, we need to check the sum of the atomic numbers (protons) and the sum of the mass numbers (protons + neutrons) on both sides of the equation. In this case, the atomic numbers on both sides are 86 (Rn) and 84 (Po), which are equal, indicating the conservation of protons. However, the mass numbers on the left side are 219 (Rn) and 215 (Po), while the mass number on the right side is unclear as the 'a' represents an alpha particle. Therefore, without knowing the specific mass number of the alpha particle, we cannot determine if the equation is balanced.
