Video Transcript
What is the nuclide symbol for the
isotope of oxygen with the same number of neutrons and protons?
A nuclide symbol or nuclide
notation is a way to concisely represent information about an atom, ion, or
isotope. In nuclide notation, the E
represents the chemical symbol of the element. Z represents the atomic number. The atomic number is unique for
each element and indicates the number of protons in all atoms, ions, and isotopes of
that element.
The atomic number is frequently
written above the chemical symbol in each cell of the periodic table. A represents the mass number. The mass number is equal to the sum
of the number of protons and neutrons in the atom, isotope, or ion. Now that we know the components of
nuclide notation, we can write the nuclide symbol for the isotope of oxygen in the
question.
If we locate oxygen on the periodic
table, we find that it has an atomic number of eight and the chemical symbol O. With this information, we can begin
to construct the nuclide symbol, by replacing E with capital O and Z with eight.
To determine the mass number, we
need to sum the number of protons and the number of neutrons in this isotope of
oxygen. We know that all atoms, isotopes,
and ions of oxygen will contain eight protons. We are told in the question that
this isotope of oxygen contains the same number of neutrons and protons. So, the mass number of this isotope
of oxygen will be equal to eight protons plus eight neutrons or 16.
In conclusion, we have determined
that the nuclide symbol for an isotope of oxygen that has the same number of
neutrons and protons is 16 eight O.
