Give the nuclear symbol (isotope symbol) for the isotope of silver that contains 60 neutrons per atom.
nuclear symbol:
The correct answer and explanation is :
Nuclear Symbol:
₄₇¹⁰⁷Ag
Explanation (300 words):
The nuclear symbol or isotope symbol is a shorthand notation that shows the number of protons and neutrons in an atom. It takes the general form:
ₐᶻX,
where:
- X is the chemical symbol of the element,
- Z is the mass number (protons + neutrons),
- A is the atomic number (number of protons).
Step-by-step breakdown:
- Identify the element:
Silver has the chemical symbol Ag and an atomic number of 47, meaning every silver atom has 47 protons. - Neutrons provided:
The question tells us the isotope of silver contains 60 neutrons. - Calculate the mass number (Z):
The mass number is the total number of protons + neutrons.
So,
Mass number = 47 (protons) + 60 (neutrons) = 107 - Write the nuclear symbol:
Place the atomic number (47) as the subscript and the mass number (107) as the superscript, before the element symbol.
That gives: ₄₇¹⁰⁷Ag
This isotope is called silver-107. Silver naturally occurs as two stable isotopes: silver-107 and silver-109. Both are common and stable, with silver-107 making up about 51.8% of natural silver.
The isotope symbol is useful in nuclear chemistry, physics, and medicine for distinguishing between atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons. While the chemical properties remain nearly identical (since they depend on electrons and protons), the nuclear properties like stability, decay modes, and behavior in nuclear reactions can vary significantly.
In summary, the silver isotope with 60 neutrons is written as ₄₇¹⁰⁷Ag, reflecting its atomic structure and distinguishing it from other isotopes of silver.