Question

Consider the following nuclear symbols. How many protons, neutrons, and electrons does each element have? What elements do \(\mathrm{R}, \mathrm{T},\) and \(\mathrm{X}\) represent? (a) \({ }_{14}^{30} \mathrm{R}\) (b) \({ }_{39}^{89} \mathrm{~T}\) (c) \({ }_{55}^{133} \mathrm{X}\)

Short answer

Question: Determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons for each nuclear symbol and identify the elements represented by R, T, and X: (a) ${}_{14}^{30} \mathrm{R}$ (b) ${}_{39}^{89} \mathrm{T}$ (c) ${}_{55}^{133} \mathrm{X}$ Answer: 1. R: Silicon (Si) - Protons: 14, Neutrons: 16, Electrons: 14 2. T: Yttrium (Y) - Protons: 39, Neutrons: 50, Electrons: 39 3. X: Cesium (Cs) - Protons: 55, Neutrons: 78, Electrons: 55

Step-by-step solution

Identify the atomic number and mass number

For each nuclear symbol, the lower number is the atomic number, which represents the number of protons, and the upper number is the mass number, which represents the sum of protons and neutrons. (a) \({ }_{14}^{30} \mathrm{R}\) : Atomic number = 14, Mass number = 30 (b) \({ }_{39}^{89} \mathrm{~T}\) : Atomic number = 39, Mass number = 89 (c) \({ }_{55}^{133} \mathrm{X}\) : Atomic number = 55, Mass number = 133

Find the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons

To find the number of protons, simply use the atomic number. To find the number of neutrons, subtract the atomic number from the mass number. For the number of electrons, it is equal to the atomic number since we are not given any information about charges. (a) \({ }_{14}^{30} \mathrm{R}\) : Protons = 14, Neutrons = 30 - 14 = 16, Electrons = 14 (b) \({ }_{39}^{89} \mathrm{~T}\) : Protons = 39, Neutrons = 89 - 39 = 50, Electrons = 39 (c) \({ }_{55}^{133} \mathrm{X}\) : Protons = 55, Neutrons = 133 - 55 = 78, Electrons = 55

Identify the elements represented by R, T, and X

Look up the elements in the periodic table based on their atomic numbers. (a) \({ }_{14}^{30} \mathrm{R}\) : Element R is Silicon (Si) with atomic number 14. (b) \({ }_{39}^{89} \mathrm{~T}\) : Element T is Yttrium (Y) with atomic number 39. (c) \({ }_{55}^{133} \mathrm{X}\) : Element X is Cesium (Cs) with atomic number 55. To summarize: 1. R: Silicon (Si) - Protons: 14, Neutrons: 16, Electrons: 14 2. T: Yttrium (Y) - Protons: 39, Neutrons: 50, Electrons: 39 3. X: Cesium (Cs) - Protons: 55, Neutrons: 78, Electrons: 55