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Chapter 2: Problem 62

Which of these symbols provides more information about the atom: \({ }^{23}\) Na or \({ }_{11}\) Na? Explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Both \({ }^{23}\) Na and \({ }_{11}\) Na provide different information about the Sodium atom. \({ }^{23}\) Na indicates its mass number, whereas \({ }_{11}\) Na indicates its atomic number. Neither gives complete information, as one provides detail about the atomic mass, and the other about number of protons.

Step by step solution

01

Understand atomic symbols

Atomic symbols typically consist of the atomic number (denoted by the subscript to the left of the chemical symbol), the atomic mass (denoted by the superscript to the left of the chemical symbol) and the element symbol, in this case, Na which represents Sodium. The atomic number indicates the number of protons (and typically electrons) in an atom, while the atomic mass represents the sum of protons and neutrons.
02

Analyze \({ }^{23}\) Na

\({ }^{23}\) Na denotes the atomic mass of the Sodium atom but does not provide information on its atomic number. Here, '23' indicates the Sodium atom's mass number, i.e., the total number of protons and neutrons.
03

Analyze \({ }_{11}\) Na

\({ }_{11}\) Na denotes the atomic number of Sodium but not the atomic mass. Here, '11' is the number of protons (and typically electrons) in a Sodium atom.
04

Compare the information provided by each symbol

Comparing the information given by each symbol, \({ }^{23}\) Na gives the mass number of Sodium (which indirectly suggests the number of particles in the nucleus - protons and neutrons), but does not specify the number of protons or the atomic number. \({ }_{11}\) Na, on the other hand, specifies the atomic number or the number of protons (and typically electrons) in Sodium, but does not provide any information about atomic mass.

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