If a pair of carbon atoms were fused, and the product were to emit a beta particle, what element would be produced?

C6 + C6 = X12. What is 12? Mg??

Beta particle emission is the conversion of a neutron into proton + electron and the electron is emitted. Therefore, the mass stays the same but the # protons goes up by 1. Atomic number increase by 1 makes the element X13. Look on the periodic table to determine the identity of X13.

To determine the element produced when a pair of carbon atoms is fused and emits a beta particle, we need to understand the nuclear reaction involved.

When a beta particle is emitted, a neutron inside a nucleus is converted into a proton, resulting in the transformation of the element. This process is known as beta decay.

In the case of carbon, its most abundant isotope is carbon-12 (^12C), which contains 6 protons and 6 neutrons. If two carbon-12 atoms fuse, the resulting nucleus would have 12 protons and 12 neutrons (24 particles in total).

Now, let's consider the beta decay of a neutron. After the emission of a beta particle (an electron or positron), a neutron is converted into a proton. This means the number of protons in the nucleus increases by one, while the number of neutrons decreases by one.

Since our fused carbon nucleus contains 12 protons and 12 neutrons, the emission of a beta particle - converting one neutron into a proton - would result in a new element with atomic number 13. The element with atomic number 13 is aluminum (Al).

Therefore, if a pair of carbon atoms were fused and emitted a beta particle, the element produced would be aluminum (Al).