Answer :
Final answer:
The balanced nuclear equation for the radioactive decay of radon-222, forming an alpha particle and polonium-218, is represented by option C) 222Rn → 218Po + 4He. Here, the mass and atomic numbers are balanced, verifying 218Po as the daughter isotope.
Explanation:
The student is asking about a balanced nuclear equation that describes the radioactive decay of radon-222 to form an alpha particle and a daughter isotope. The correct answer is option C) 222Rn → 218Po + 4He. This equation depicts alpha decay, where radon-222 loses two protons and two neutrons, which are emitted as an alpha particle (4He). This process leads to the formation of polonium-218 (218Po) as the daughter isotope. In balancing nuclear equations, we need to ensure that the sum of the mass numbers and the sum of the atomic numbers are equal on both sides of the equation. For radon-222, which is represented by 222Rn, the subtraction is 222 - 4 = 218 for the mass number and 86 - 2 = 84 for the atomic number (since alpha particles have a mass number of 4 and an atomic number of 2), confirming polonium-218 as the daughter isotope with 84 protons.
