24 Na → 24 mg4 + X + energy 11 2 The equation above represents a nuclear decay of sodium isotope. What is X?

Answer Details

The equation above represents a nuclear decay of a sodium isotope. In the equation, the left-hand side represents the parent nucleus (24 Na) and the right-hand side represents the daughter nucleus (24 mg4) and the emitted particles. The mass number (24) is conserved on both sides of the equation, but the atomic number (11) on the left side is larger than the atomic number (12) on the right side, indicating that the parent nucleus has undergone beta decay. During beta decay, a neutron in the nucleus is converted into a proton and an electron, which is emitted as a beta particle. Therefore, the X in the equation represents a beta particle.