The element having the highest binding energy per nucleon among the following is:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → \( {}^{16}\mathrm{O} \)
The binding energy per nucleon rises steeply for light nuclei, then flattens near the maximum of about 8.7 MeV around mass number 56. Among light nuclei it is greater for nuclei that are more tightly packed, such as those made of whole alpha particles (\( {}^{12}\mathrm{C} \), \( {}^{16}\mathrm{O} \)).
The values are about 5.3 MeV for \( {}^{6}\mathrm{Li} \), 7.5 MeV for \( {}^{14}\mathrm{N} \), 7.7 MeV for \( {}^{12}\mathrm{C} \) and 8.0 MeV for \( {}^{16}\mathrm{O} \). The largest is that of \( {}^{16}\mathrm{O} \).