The nucleus of an atom consists of protons and neutrons (no electrons). A nucleu

Question

The nucleus of an atom consists of protons and neutrons (no electrons). A nucleus of a carbon-12 isotope contains six protons and six neutrons, while a nitrogen-14 nucleus comprises seven protons and seven neutrons. You perform a nuclear physics experiment in which you bombard nitrogen-14 nuclei with very high speed carbon-12 nuclei emerging from a particle accelerator. As a result of each such collision, the two nuclei disintegrate completely and a mix of different particles are emitted, including electrons, protons, antiprotons (with electric charge –e each), positrons (with charge e each), and various neutral particles (including neutrons and neutrinos). For a particular collision you detect the emitted products and find 17 protons, 4 antiprotons, 7 positrons, and 24 neutral particles. How many electrons are also emitted?

Explanation / Answer

In this case, the initially ( 6 C 12 + 7 N 14 ) contains 13 protons with charge + 13

Let number of electrons be n

Total charge after the reaction : 17 - 4 + 7 - n

Apply the law of charge conservation

17 - 4 + 7 - n = 13

Solve for n

n = 7

Thus, 7 electrons are also emitted in this reaction

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