The element oxygen has three naturally occurring isotopes, with \(8,9,\) and 10 neutrons in the nucleus, respectively. (a) Write the full chemical symbols for these three isotopes. (b) Describe the similarities and differences between the three kinds of atoms of oxygen.

To write the chemical symbols of these oxygen isotopes, we first need to know the atomic number (Z) of oxygen. Oxygen has an atomic number (Z) of -8, which means it has 8 protons in its nucleus. Now, we can determine the mass number (A) for each isotope. The mass number (A) is the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. For each isotope, the mass number (A) would be: 1. Isotope 1: \[A = 8 (protons) + 8 (neutrons) = 16\] 2. Isotope 2: \[A = 8 (protons) + 9 (neutrons) = 17\] 3. Isotope 3: \[A = 8 (protons) + 10 (neutrons) = 18\] Now, we can write the full chemical symbols for these isotopes using the format A_Z X, where X is the chemical symbol for the element: 1. Isotope 1: \[^{16}_{8} O\] 2. Isotope 2: \[^{17}_{8} O\] 3. Isotope 3: \[^{18}_{8} O\]

Similarities: 1. All three isotopes have the same number of protons (8), which means they are all oxygen atoms. 2. They also have the same number of electrons (8), which determines their chemical properties. 3. All three isotopes are neutrally charged since the number of positively charged protons equals the number of negatively charged electrons. Differences: 1. The number of neutrons is different in each isotope (8, 9, and 10), which makes them isotopes of the same element. 2. Due to the differences in the number of neutrons, each isotope has a different mass number (A): 16, 17, and 18. 3. These differences in mass numbers result in slight variations in physical properties, such as atomic mass and density.