Write balanced nuclear equations for the following processes: (d) radium-226 emits alpha radiation.

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the type of nuclear reaction: In this case, radium-226 is undergoing alpha decay, which means it emits an alpha particle.
2. Recall that an alpha particle is represented as \( ^4_2\text{He} \) or \( \alpha \), which consists of 2 protons and 2 neutrons.
3. Write the initial nuclear equation: Start with the radium-226 nucleus, which is represented as \( ^{226}_{88}\text{Ra} \).
4. Apply the conservation of mass and atomic numbers: The sum of the mass numbers (top numbers) and the sum of the atomic numbers (bottom numbers) must be equal on both sides of the equation.
5. Determine the daughter nucleus: Subtract the mass and atomic numbers of the alpha particle from those of radium-226 to find the new element. The new element will have a mass number of 222 and an atomic number of 86, which corresponds to radon (\( ^{222}_{86}\text{Rn} \)).