Consider an atom of ¹⁰B. (c) What is the symbol of the atom obtained by adding one neutron to ¹⁰B?

Key Concepts

Atomic Structure

Atoms consist of protons, neutrons, and electrons. The number of protons defines the element, while the total number of protons and neutrons gives the atomic mass. In the case of boron-10 (10B), it has 5 protons and 5 neutrons, making it a specific isotope of boron.

Isotopes

Isotopes are variants of a chemical element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. This difference in neutrons results in different atomic masses. For example, adding one neutron to 10B creates 11B, which is another isotope of boron.

Nuclear Notation

Nuclear notation is a way to represent isotopes using the element's symbol, the atomic number (number of protons), and the mass number (total number of protons and neutrons). For boron-10, the notation is 10B, and after adding a neutron, the notation for the new isotope becomes 11B.