Write isotopic symbols in the form ^A_ZX for each isotope. a. the copper isotope with 34 neutrons

Key Concepts

Isotopes

Isotopes are variants of a particular chemical element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. This difference in neutron count results in varying atomic masses for the isotopes of the same element. For example, copper has several isotopes, including those with different neutron counts, which can affect their stability and abundance.

Isotopic Notation

Isotopic notation is a way to represent isotopes using the format AZX, where 'A' is the mass number (total number of protons and neutrons), 'Z' is the atomic number (number of protons), and 'X' is the chemical symbol of the element. For instance, in the case of copper with 34 neutrons, the mass number would be the sum of the protons (29 for copper) and neutrons (34), resulting in a mass number of 63.

Copper's Atomic Structure

Copper (Cu) has an atomic number of 29, meaning it has 29 protons in its nucleus. To find the isotopic symbol for the copper isotope with 34 neutrons, one must first calculate the mass number by adding the number of protons and neutrons together. Thus, the mass number for this isotope would be 63, leading to the isotopic symbol being written as 63Cu.