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Ch.2 - Atoms & Elements
Chapter 2, Problem 53b

Write isotopic symbols in the form X-A (e.g., C-13) for each isotope. b. the gold isotope with 119 neutrons

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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 carbon-12 and carbon-14, which differ in their neutron numbers.
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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, which is the sum of protons and neutrons. For instance, in C-13, 'C' represents carbon and '13' is the mass number indicating it has 6 protons and 7 neutrons.
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03:57
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 gold isotope has 119 neutrons, and knowing gold has 79 protons, its mass number would be 198 (79 protons + 119 neutrons), represented as Au-198.
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