Question
Question: Mirror nuclei are those which have: (A)- the same number of protons (B)- the same number of neut...
Mirror nuclei are those which have:
(A)- the same number of protons
(B)- the same number of neutrons
(C)- the number of protons equal to number of neutrons
(D)- the number of neutrons is one equal to the number of protons in the other
Solution
In atomic chemistry, the nucleus is a collection of particles called protons, which are positively charged, and neutrons, which are electrically neutral. Both in combination are called nuclei. As we can see a term mirror in the question, this implies that we are talking about more than one nucleus.
Complete answer:
As we can see, the question includes different terms like protons, neutrons and nuclei. So, in order to get our answer, first we have to get some idea about them.
-Electron: The electron is a subatomic particle (e− or β−), whose electric charge is negative. Electrons play an essential role in numerous physical phenomena, such as electricity, magnetism, thermal conductivity, and they also participate in gravitational and electromagnetic. Since an electron has charge, it has a surrounding electric field, and if that electron is moving relative to some observer then the observer will observe it to generate a magnetic field.
- Proton: It is a subatomic particle (p or p+) with a positive electric charge of +1e and a mass slightly less than that of a neutron. Protons and neutrons, each have masses of approximately 1 am (atomic mass unit), are collectively referred to as "nucleons”.
Protons and neutrons are both nucleons, which are bound together by the nuclear force to form an atomic nucleus.
- Neutron: It is a subatomic particle (symbol n or no) which has a neutral (neither positive nor negative) charge and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton. The chemical properties of an atom are determined by the configuration of electrons that orbit the atom's heavy nucleus. Neutrons do not affect the electron configuration, but the sum of atomic number and the number of neutrons is the mass of the nucleus.
-Nucleus: The nucleus consists of the elementary particles i.e. protons and neutrons which are known as nucleons. The nucleons inside the nucleus are held together by strong attractive forces called strong nuclear forces. Mirror nuclei are nuclei where the number of protons of element one equals the number of neutrons of element two and vice-versa i.e. the number of protons of element two are also equal to the number of neutrons in element one.
Therefore, the answer to the above question is option (D), the number of neutrons is one equal to the number of protons in the other
Note:
Always remember that pairs of mirror nuclei have the same spin and parity. If we constrain to an odd number of nucleons, then we will find mirror nuclei that differ from one another by exchanging a proton by a neutron.