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Fix \ce syntax
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mhchem
mhchem
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The question is flawed (possibly a misprint), your reasoning is sound (given the information provided to you).

Curium-226 does not exist, according to the Web Elements page on the isotopes of curium, the 'smallest' isotope is curium-240, which undergoes $\alpha$ decay to become plutonium-236.

$$\ce{^{240}_{96}Cm->^{236}_{94}Pu + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$$$\ce{^{240}_{96}Cm -> ^{236}_{94}Pu + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$

The most likely candidate of what the question should have been asking about is radium-226 decaying to radon-222,

$$\ce{^{226}_{88}Ra->^{222}_{86}Rn + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$$$\ce{^{226}_{88}Ra -> ^{222}_{86}Rn + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$

which is part of the uranium-series decay chain:

enter image description here

This is the most likely scenario, as the smallest isotope of thorium is thorium-227 (WebElements) and for radium, it is radium-223 (WebElements), both have too high a mass for anything with an atomic mass of 226 to directly decay into by alpha decay (as per the question).

The question is flawed (possibly a misprint), your reasoning is sound (given the information provided to you).

Curium-226 does not exist, according to the Web Elements page on the isotopes of curium, the 'smallest' isotope is curium-240, which undergoes $\alpha$ decay to become plutonium-236.

$$\ce{^{240}_{96}Cm->^{236}_{94}Pu + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$

The most likely candidate of what the question should have been asking about is radium-226 decaying to radon-222,

$$\ce{^{226}_{88}Ra->^{222}_{86}Rn + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$

which is part of the uranium-series decay chain:

enter image description here

This is the most likely scenario, as the smallest isotope of thorium is thorium-227 (WebElements) and for radium, it is radium-223 (WebElements), both have too high a mass for anything with an atomic mass of 226 to directly decay into by alpha decay (as per the question).

The question is flawed (possibly a misprint), your reasoning is sound (given the information provided to you).

Curium-226 does not exist, according to the Web Elements page on the isotopes of curium, the 'smallest' isotope is curium-240, which undergoes $\alpha$ decay to become plutonium-236.

$$\ce{^{240}_{96}Cm -> ^{236}_{94}Pu + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$

The most likely candidate of what the question should have been asking about is radium-226 decaying to radon-222,

$$\ce{^{226}_{88}Ra -> ^{222}_{86}Rn + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$

which is part of the uranium-series decay chain:

enter image description here

This is the most likely scenario, as the smallest isotope of thorium is thorium-227 (WebElements) and for radium, it is radium-223 (WebElements), both have too high a mass for anything with an atomic mass of 226 to directly decay into by alpha decay (as per the question).

added 120 characters in body
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user15489
user15489

The question is flawed (possibly a misprint), your reasoning is sound (given the information provided to you).

Curium-226 does not exist, according to the Web Elements page on the isotopes of curium, the 'smallest' isotope is curium-240, which undergoes $\alpha$ decay to become plutonium-236.

$$\ce{^{240}_{96}Cu->^{236}_{94}Pu + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$$$\ce{^{240}_{96}Cm->^{236}_{94}Pu + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$

The most likely candidate of what the question should have been asking about is radium-226 decaying to radon-222,

$$\ce{^{226}_{88}Ra->^{222}_{86}Rn + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$

which is part of the uranium-series decay chain:

enter image description here

This is the most likely scenario, as the smallest isotope of thorium is thorium-227 (WebElements) and for radium, it is radium-223 (WebElements), both have too high a mass for anything with an atomic mass of 226 to directly decay into by alpha decay (as per the question).

The question is flawed (possibly a misprint), your reasoning is sound (given the information provided to you).

Curium-226 does not exist, according to the Web Elements page on the isotopes of curium, the 'smallest' isotope is curium-240, which undergoes $\alpha$ decay to become plutonium-236.

$$\ce{^{240}_{96}Cu->^{236}_{94}Pu + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$

The most likely candidate of what the question should have been asking about is radium-226 decaying to radon-222,

$$\ce{^{226}_{88}Ra->^{222}_{86}Rn + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$

which is part of the uranium-series decay chain:

enter image description here

The question is flawed (possibly a misprint), your reasoning is sound (given the information provided to you).

Curium-226 does not exist, according to the Web Elements page on the isotopes of curium, the 'smallest' isotope is curium-240, which undergoes $\alpha$ decay to become plutonium-236.

$$\ce{^{240}_{96}Cm->^{236}_{94}Pu + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$

The most likely candidate of what the question should have been asking about is radium-226 decaying to radon-222,

$$\ce{^{226}_{88}Ra->^{222}_{86}Rn + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$

which is part of the uranium-series decay chain:

enter image description here

This is the most likely scenario, as the smallest isotope of thorium is thorium-227 (WebElements) and for radium, it is radium-223 (WebElements), both have too high a mass for anything with an atomic mass of 226 to directly decay into by alpha decay (as per the question).

added 120 characters in body
Source Link
user15489
user15489

The question is flawed (possibly a misprint), your reasoning is sound (given the information provided to you).

Curium-226 does not exist, according to the Web Elements page on the isotopes of curium, the 'smallest' isotope is curium-240, which undergoes $\alpha$ decay to become plutonium-236.

$$\ce{^{240}_{96}Cu->^{236}_{94}Pu + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$

The most likely candidate of what the question should have been asking about is radium-226 decaying to radon-222,

$$\ce{^{226}_{88}Ra->^{222}_{86}Rn + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$

which is part of the uranium-series decay chaichainn:

enter image description here

The question is flawed (possibly a misprint), your reasoning is sound (given the information provided to you).

Curium-226 does not exist, according to the Web Elements page on the isotopes of curium, the 'smallest' isotope is curium-240, which undergoes $\alpha$ decay to become plutonium-236.

The most likely candidate of what the question should have been asking about is radium-226 decaying to radon-222, which is part of the uranium-series decay chain:

enter image description here

The question is flawed (possibly a misprint), your reasoning is sound (given the information provided to you).

Curium-226 does not exist, according to the Web Elements page on the isotopes of curium, the 'smallest' isotope is curium-240, which undergoes $\alpha$ decay to become plutonium-236.

$$\ce{^{240}_{96}Cu->^{236}_{94}Pu + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$

The most likely candidate of what the question should have been asking about is radium-226 decaying to radon-222,

$$\ce{^{226}_{88}Ra->^{222}_{86}Rn + ^{4}_{2}\alpha}$$

which is part of the uranium-series decay chain:

enter image description here

Source Link
user15489
user15489