Positron – the antiparticle of the electron as it has the same mass as an electron, but the opposite charge.

Electron ( e –) – a subatomic particle with a negative electric charge of 1.

Neutron ( n or n o) – a neutral subatomic particle slightly heavier than a proton.

Proton ( p or p +) – a subatomic particle with a positive electric charge of 1+.

So, remember the following definitions from the atomic structure. You need to know what each of these terms mean because balancing a nuclear equation often means identifying the daughter nuclide (product) of the reaction. You check this article for the details of these processes, but here is a summary for these radioactive processes which we are going to use when balancing different nuclear reactions:

This principle applies to all the radioactive decay and transformations such beta decay, positron emission, and electron capture. The sum of the protons on the right side (90 + 2) is equal to the atomic number of uranium, and the sum of the mass numbers of Th and α (234 + 4) is equal to the atomic mass of the 238 92U isotope. This is the equation for the alpha decay of the uranium-238 isotope to the thorium-234 isotope. In other words, the sum of the superscripts and subscripts on both sides of the equation must be equal. You need to keep in mind that the sum of the mass numbers and atomic numbers are equal on both sides of the equation. So, how do we balance a nuclear equation? For example:Ĭa(AlO 2) 2 + 8HCl → 2AlCl 3 + CaCl 2 + 4H 2O

Despite some fundamental differences between chemical and nuclear reactions, they both share a common feature which you heard so many times – the equation must be balanced!įor chemical reactions, the equation is balanced by equalizing the number of given atoms on both sides of the equation.

Unbalanced fission reaction equation