

Now write the isotopic notation for carbon-14. For most of the 16 lightest elements (up to oxygen) the number of neutrons is equal to the number of protons. Different elements atomic numbers are found in the Periodic. The number of protons is the atomic number, and the. The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom is the atomic number for the chemical element. The name carbon-14 tells us that this isotope's mass number is #14#. The positively charged protons tend to repel each other, and the neutrons help to hold the nucleus together.


Isotope notation, also known as nuclear notation, is important because it allows us to use a visual symbol to easily determine an isotope's mass number, atomic number, and to determine the number of neutrons and protons in the nucleus without having to use a lot of words.Įxample 1: What is the isotopic notation for the isotope carbon-14?įrom the periodic table, we see that the atomic number (number of protons) for the element carbon is #6#. Sulfur has 16 protons, silicon has 14 protons, and gold has 79 protons. Each element, however, does have a unique number of protons. 1: It is difficult to find qualities that differ between each element, and to distinguish one element from another. However, because different isotopes have different numbers of neutrons, they can differ in mass number, which is the sum of the protons and neutrons in the nucleus. Thats where atomic number and mass number are useful. All atoms of the same element have the same number of protons, which is the atomic number of that element. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that differ in the number of neutrons in their atomic nuclei.
