High School

A nucleus of plutonium-239 is bombarded with a neutron, causing it to produce xenon-134, zirconium-103, and 3 neutrons. How would you write the isotopic notation for zirconium-103?

A) ¹⁰³ ₄₀ Zr
B) ⁴⁰ ₁₀₃ Zr
C) ⁶³ ₁₀₃ Zr
D) ¹⁰³ ₆₃ Zr

Answer :

Final answer:

The isotopic notation for zirconium-103 is a) ¹⁰³₄₀ Zr, which indicates a mass number of 103 and an atomic number of 40 with the symbol Zr. The correct option is a) ¹⁰³₄₀ Zr.

Explanation:

The correct isotopic notation for zirconium-103 would include the mass number (which is the number of protons plus neutrons) and the atomic number (which is the number of protons in the nucleus).

For zirconium-103, the mass number is 103 and the atomic number, which can be found on the periodic table, is 40 for zirconium (Zr).

Therefore, the isotopic notation includes the mass number at the top and the atomic number at the bottom, followed by the element symbol.

The correct option is a) ¹⁰³₄₀ Zr, which shows the mass number of 103 at the top and the atomic number of 40 at the bottom next to the symbol for zirconium (Zr).