Question

Where is the atomic number located in the isotope symbol?

Answer 1

The atomic number is typically located at the bottom left or the top left corner of the isotope symbol. The isotope symbol is written in the form:

$\text{Element symbol}-\text{Mass number}$ or $\text{Element symbol}-\text{Atomic number}$

The mass number is the sum of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom, while the atomic number represents the number of protons in the nucleus. In the isotope symbol, the atomic number is often written as a subscript to the left of the element symbol or as a superscript above the element symbol. For example:

$\text{Carbon-12}:\text{prescript}126\text{C}$ $\text{Hydrogen-1}:\text{prescript}11\text{H}$ $\text{Oxygen-18}:\text{prescript}188\text{O}$

In these examples, the atomic numbers are represented by the subscripts 6, 1, and 8, respectively.