Question

Fluorine-17 is formed in a fusion reaction that also releases a neutron. If one of the reactants is an alpha particle, what is the other reactant?

Answer 1

turn those names into proper nuclear symbols

Answer 2

\[X_{z}^{a} + He _{_{2}}^{4}\rightarrow F _{9}^{17} + n _{0}^{1}\]
this is the equation of the reaction you want to find\[X _{z}^{a}\]

Conservation of mass says that
\[a + 4 = 17 +1\]
conservation of charge says
\[x + 2 = 9\]
So x the atomic number of the target X is ...?

and a the atomic mass of the target X is ...?