Write isotopic symbols in the form ^A_ZX for each isotope. c. the rubidium isotope with 45 neutrons

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the element symbol for rubidium, which is 'Rb'.
2. Determine the atomic number (Z) of rubidium from the periodic table, which is 37.
3. Calculate the mass number (A) of the isotope by adding the number of protons (atomic number) to the number of neutrons: A = Z + number of neutrons.
4. Substitute the known values into the formula: A = 37 + 45.
5. Write the isotopic symbol in the form \( ^A_ZX \), where A is the mass number, Z is the atomic number, and X is the element symbol.

Key Concepts

Isotopes

Isotopes are variants of a 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, rubidium has several isotopes, and the specific isotope with 45 neutrons can be identified by its mass number, which is the sum of protons and neutrons.

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 rubidium, which has an atomic number of 37, the notation for the isotope with 45 neutrons would be written as 82Rb, since the mass number is 37 (protons) + 45 (neutrons) = 82.

Mass Number Calculation

The mass number of an isotope is calculated by adding the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. In the case of rubidium with 45 neutrons, the mass number can be determined by adding the atomic number (37) to the number of neutrons (45), resulting in a mass number of 82. This calculation is essential for accurately writing the isotopic symbol.