Question

`"Atom W has 9 protons and 9 neutrons, Atom X has 8 protons and 9"` `"neutrons. Atom Y has 9 protons, and 9 neutrons. Atom Z has 10 protons"` `"and 10 neutrons."` What are the isotopes?

Answer 1

The number of nuclear protons gives `Z`, the atomic number......

Explanation:

And `Z` defines the identity of the element: `Z=1,H;Z=2,He;..........Z=6,C;........Z=37, Ru...........`

You don't have to remember these numbers, because a Periodic Table will be supplied to you in every test of chemistry and physics. You do have to be able to USE the Table.

Nuclear protons are conceived to have a positive charge. For a NEUTRAL element, there thus must be an equal number of negative charges, and these are supplied by `"electrons"`, which have negligible mass, unlike the proton, and are conceived to whizz about the nuclear core.

Also contained in the nuclear core, are various numbers of neutrons. Because a particular element may have various numbers of neutrons, this gives rise to the existence of `"isotopes"`, which are the same element, but isotopes have slightly different mass.

And so we identify the given nuclides, armed with a Periodic Table. All I do is look up the number `Z`, given by the number of protons:

`"Atom W"` `=` `"9 protons and 9 neutrons"`, `""^18F`

`"Atom X"` `=` `"8 protons and 9 neutrons"`, `""^17O`

`"Atom Y"` `=` `"9 protons and 9 neutrons"`, `""^18F`

(i.e. `W` and `Y` are the same isotopes)

`"Atom Z"` `=` `"9 protons and 10 neutrons"`, `""^19F`

`Z` and `Y` are different isotopes of the fluorine element. `W` and `Y` are the SAME isotope.

Please don't be blinded by science, and a few unfamiliar terms. The concept is fairly simple, and if you persist you will master it. A final question. We have `Z=92` for an unknown element. It has `146` neutrons in its nucleus. Can you identify the element, and the relevant isotope?