The first historical example of artificial nuclear transmutation was achieved by Ernest Rutherford w — Nuclear Chemistry and Radioactivity Chemistry Question
Question
The first historical example of artificial nuclear transmutation was achieved by Ernest Rutherford when he bombarded Nitrogen-14 with $\alpha$ -particles to produce a proton and a new nuclide $X$. Identify the nuclide $X$.
Answer: B
💡 Solution & Explanation
The balanced nuclear equation is ${}_{7}^{14}N + {}_{2}^{4}He \rightarrow {}_{Z}^{A}X + {}_{1}^{1}H$. Balancing mass numbers: $14 + 4 = A + 1 \Rightarrow A = 17$. Balancing atomic numbers: $7 + 2 = Z + 1 \Rightarrow Z = 8$. The element with $Z=8$ is Oxygen. Thus, the product is ${}_{8}^{17}O$.
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