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Polonium is a rare element with 33 radioisotopes. The most common one, 210Po, has 82 protons and 128 neutrons. When 210Po decays, it emits an alpha particle, which is a helium nucleus (2 protons and 2 neutrons). 210Po decay is tricky to detect because alpha particles do not carry very much energy compared to other forms of radiation. For example, they can be stopped by a single sheet of paper or a few inches of air. That is one reason that authorities failed to discover toxic amounts of 210Po in the body of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko until after he died suddenly and mysteriously in 2006. What element does an atom of 210Po become after it emits an alpha particle?
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Chapter 2 Solutions
Biology Today and Tomorrow without Physiology (MindTap Course List)
- Polonium is a rare element with 33 radioisotopes. The most common one, 210Po, has 82 protons and 128 neutrons. When 210Po decays, it emits an alpha particle, which is a helium nucleus (2 protons and 2 neutrons). 210Po decay is tricky to detect because alpha particles do not carry very much energy compared to other forms of radiation. They can be stopped by, for example, a sheet of paper or a few inches of air. This property is one reason why authorities failed to discover toxic amounts of 210Po in the body of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko until after he died suddenly and mysteriously in 2006. What element does an atom of 210Po decay into after it emits an alpha particle?arrow_forwardPolonium is a rare element with 33 radioisotopes. The most common one, P210o, has 84 protons and 126 neutrons. When P210o decays, it emits an alpha particle, which is a helium nucleus 2 protons and 2 neutrons. P210o decay is tricky to detect because alpha particles do not carry very much energy compared to other forms of radiation. For example, they can be stopped by a single sheet of paper or a few inches of air. That is one reason why authorities failed to discover toxic amounts of P210o in the body of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko until after he died suddenly and mysteriously in 2006. What element does an atom of P210o change into after it emits an alpha particle.arrow_forwardAn isotope of sodium (Na) has a mass number of 22. How many neutrons does it have? a. 11 b. 12 c. 22 d. 44arrow_forward
- Figure 2.3 How many neutrons do carbon-12 and carbon-13 have, respectively?arrow_forwardFigure 2.3 How many neutrons do (K) potassium-39 and potassium-40 have, respectively?arrow_forwardPolonium is a rare element with 33 radioisotopes. The most common one, 210Po, has 82 protons and 128 neutrons. When 210Po decays, it emits an alpha particle, which is a helium nucleus (2 protons and 2 neutrons). 210Po decay is tricky to detect because alpha particles do not carry very much energy compared to other forms of radiation. They can be stopped by, for example, a sheet of paper or a few inches of air. This property is one reason why authorities failed to discover toxic amounts of 210Po in the body of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko until after he died suddenly and mysteriously in 2006. What element does an atom of 210Po decay into after it emits an alpha particle?arrow_forward
- Atoms of the same element that differ only in the number of neutrons are known asarrow_forwardAn isotope of sodium (Na) has a mass number of 22 and an atomic number of 11.how many neutrons does it have? 11 12 22 44arrow_forwardThe atomic mass number of an atom is determined by the sum of the number of in the atom. (a) protons plus electrons plus neutrons (b) protons plus electrons (c) neutrons plus electrons (d) neutrons plus protonsarrow_forward
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