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Ch.2 - Atoms & Elements
Chapter 2, Problem 51b

Write isotopic symbols in the form X-A (e.g., C-13) for each isotope. b. the silver isotope with 62 neutrons

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Identify the element: Silver is represented by the symbol 'Ag'.
Determine the atomic number of silver: Silver (Ag) has an atomic number of 47, which means it has 47 protons.
Calculate the mass number: The mass number is the sum of protons and neutrons. Here, it is 47 (protons) + 62 (neutrons) = 109.
Write the isotopic symbol: Combine the element symbol with the mass number to write the isotopic symbol in the form X-A.
The isotopic symbol for the silver isotope with 62 neutrons is Ag-109.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

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, carbon has isotopes like C-12 and C-14, where the numbers indicate the total number of protons and neutrons.
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Isotopic Notation

Isotopic notation is a way to represent isotopes using the format X-A, where 'X' is the chemical symbol of the element and 'A' is the mass number (the sum of protons and neutrons). For instance, in the notation C-13, 'C' represents carbon and '13' is the mass number, indicating that this isotope has 6 protons and 7 neutrons.
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Isotope Notation Example

Mass Number

The mass number of an isotope is the total count of protons and neutrons in its nucleus. It is crucial for identifying isotopes and understanding their stability and behavior in chemical reactions. For example, if a silver isotope has 62 neutrons and silver has 47 protons, its mass number would be 109, represented as Ag-109.
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