Question

When ₃Li⁷ nuclei are bombarded by protons, and the resultant nuclei are ₄Be⁸, the emitted particles will be ______.

Options

• alpha particles 

• beta particles

• gamma photons 

• neutrons

Answer 1

When ₃Li⁷ nuclei are bombarded by protons, and the resultant nuclei are ₄Be⁸, the emitted particles will be gamma photons.

Explanation:

\[\ce{^7_3Li + ^1_1p ->^8_4Be + ^0_0γ}\]

We can see that the number of protons and their masses are equal on both sides, indicating that the emitted particle should be a massless gamma photon.