Isotopes

• What does a full chemical symbol for an atom include?

  It includes the chemical symbol and two numbers.
• What does the bottom number in a full chemical symbol represent?

  It represents the atomic number of the atom.
• What does the atomic number indicate about an atom?

  It indicates the number of protons in its nucleus.
• How does the atomic number relate to the number of electrons in an atom?

  The atomic number tells you how many electrons an atom has, as every atom has equal numbers of protons and electrons.
• What is the full chemical symbol for a carbon-12 atom?

  The full chemical symbol is $\frac{12}{6}C$.
• What does the top number in a full chemical symbol represent?

  It represents the mass number, which is the total number of protons and neutrons.
• What is the formula for calculating mass number?

  Mass number = number of protons (atomic number) + number of neutrons.
• How can you calculate the number of neutrons in an atom?

  You can calculate it using the mass number and atomic number.
• What is the formula to find the number of neutrons?

  Number of neutrons = mass number - atomic number.
• What are isotopes of an element?

  Atoms with the same number of protons and electrons, but different number of neutrons
• How do isotopes differ from each other?

  They have the same atomic number but different mass numbers
• How should isotopes be identified?

  Using their full chemical symbols
• What is a common way isotopes are named?

  By their mass number
• What determines the chemical properties of an element?

  The number of electrons in its atoms
• Why do all isotopes of an element have identical chemical properties?

  Because they have the same number of electrons
• How can the different number of neutrons in isotopes affect them?

  It may affect their physical properties
• What are ions?

  Charged particles formed when atoms or groups lose or gain electrons
• What happens to a sodium atom when it loses one electron?

  It becomes a sodium ion, Na+
• What is the result when an oxygen atom gains two electrons?

  It becomes an oxide ion, O^2-