Skip to main content
Ch.2 - Atoms, Molecules, and Ions

Chapter 2, Problem 31a

Write the correct symbol, with both superscript and subscript, for each of the following. Use the list of elements in the front inside cover as needed: (a) the isotope of platinum that contains 118 neutrons

Verified Solution
Video duration:
2m
This video solution was recommended by our tutors as helpful for the problem above.
815
views
Was this helpful?

Video transcript

Hey everyone in this example, we need to give the correct symbol for the isotope of tantalum with neutrons. So we want to go ahead and recall that to find tantalum on our periodic tables. We want to look for the symbol T. A. Which we recognize corresponds to the atomic number represented by our symbols E. Equal to 73. And we would recall that in a neutral atom, We would have our number of protons. Or sorry, our atomic number equal to our number of protons. So we would say that we have also 73 protons because the prompt does not mention that our isotope has a charge. So we're going to assume we have a neutral atom of tantalum. We want to recall that for our chemical symbol. We have our element represented by an ex. Actually we have our atomic number represented by Z as I stated earlier. And then we have our mass number located here represented by the symbol A. So this is our mass number and this here is our atomic number. We want to recall that our mass number is found By taking our number of protons and adding that to our number of neutrons. And so according to the prompt, we have 108 neutrons which we will add to our neutral isotope which has 73 protons. To get our mass number equal to 181. And so to write are correct chemical symbol for the isotope tantalum. We're going to have T.A.. We're going to have 181 in place of our atomic mass, or mass number, and then we're going to have our atomic number here Of 73 below. And this is going to complete our correct chemical symbol for the isotope tantalum with 108 neutrons. So this is our final answer. If you have any questions, please leave them down below, and I will see everyone in the next practice video.
Related Practice
Textbook Question

Fill in the gaps in the following table, assuming each column represents a neutral atom.

Symbol 112Cd

Protons 38 92

Neutrons 58 49

Electrons 38 36

Mass no. 81 235

Complete the first row of the table.

484
views
Textbook Question

Fill in the gaps in the following table, assuming each column represents a neutral atom.

Symbol 112Cd

Protons 38 92

Neutrons 58 49

Electrons 38 36

Mass no. 81 235

Complete the second row of the table.

1238
views
Textbook Question

Fill in the gaps in the following table, assuming each column represents a neutral atom.

Symbol 112Cd

Protons 38 92

Neutrons 58 49

Electrons 38 36

Mass no. 81 235

Complete the third row of the table.

636
views
Textbook Question

Write the correct symbol, with both superscript and subscript, for each of the following. Use the list of elements in the front inside cover as needed: (b) the isotope of krypton with mass number 84

977
views
Textbook Question

Write the correct symbol, with both superscript and subscript, for each of the following. Use the list of elements in the front inside cover as needed: (d) the isotope of magnesium that has an equal number of protons and neutrons.

554
views
Textbook Question

The atomic weight of boron is reported as 10.81, yet no atom of boron has the mass of 10.81 amu. Which is the best explanation?

a. The measurement of atomic mass is only reliable to two significant figures.

b. The atomic weight is an average of many individual atoms.

c. The atomic weight is an average of many isotopes of the same nuclear composition.