Enter the isotope symbol for an atom/ion that contains 46 protons, 61 neutrons, and 46 electrons

Enter the isotope symbol for an atom/ion that contains 46 protons, 61 neutrons, and 46 electrons.

The correct answer and explanation is:

Correct Answer:
ⁱ⁰⁷Pd

Explanation:
To write the isotope symbol of an atom or ion, three important components must be identified:

1. Atomic Number (Z): This is the number of protons. In this case, the atom has 46 protons, which means the element is palladium (Pd) because palladium has an atomic number of 46.
2. Mass Number (A): This is the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. For this atom:
   • Protons = 46
   • Neutrons = 61
     So,
     Mass Number (A) = 46 + 61 = 107
3. Charge (if any): The charge is based on the difference between protons and electrons.
   • Protons = 46
   • Electrons = 46
     Since the number of protons equals the number of electrons, the atom is neutral (no charge).

Now, the isotope symbol is written as:

• The mass number is written as a superscript on the left.
• The atomic number may be written as a subscript on the left (but often omitted).
• The element symbol is written normally.

So the isotope symbol is:
ⁱ⁰⁷Pd

This represents a neutral palladium atom with a mass number of 107. This isotope is one of the naturally occurring isotopes of palladium.

Isotopes are atoms of the same element (same number of protons) but with different numbers of neutrons. Therefore, while all palladium atoms have 46 protons, different isotopes will have varying numbers of neutrons. In this case, the isotope has 61 neutrons, making it palladium-107. It is useful in scientific and industrial applications including catalysis and materials science.