Only four stable nuclides have odd numbers for both N and Z. Predict whether adding both a proton and a neutron to each of these nuclides, { }_{1}^{2} H ,{ }_{3}^{6} Li ,{ }_{5}^{10} B \text {, and }{ }_{7}^{14} N, will produce a stable nucleus. Look up in Appendix 8 whether they are stable or not.
Chapter 12
Q. 12.7
Step-by-Step
Verified Solution
Adding a proton and a neutron to each nuclide will make them each even-even. There is a good likelihood that each new nuclide is stable, because nucleons prefer to have even numbers.
When we look up the nuclides in Appendix 8, we find that only { }_{4}^{8} Be is unstable, which is a special case because it decays to two alpha particles. Alpha particles are particularly stable because both Z and N are equal to 2, which is a “magic number” (see Problem 68).