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. ₁₀₃⁴⁰Zr
B. ¹⁰³₄₀Zr
C. Zr-103
D. Zirconium-103

Answer :

Final answer:

The correct isotopic notation for Zirconium-103 is 'c. Zr-103'. This notation implies the atomic number of Zirconium (40) and states the mass number, which is 103. Therefore, the correct option is C.

Explanation:

The isotopic notation for Zirconium-103 is best represented as c. Zr-103. In isotopic notation, the element symbol is followed by a hyphen and the mass number (which includes the total number of protons and neutrons). In the case of Zirconium-103, it means that this isotope of zirconium has a mass number of 103. Zirconium has an atomic number of 40, which is typically written as a subscript before the element symbol, but in this shorthand notation, it is not required, as it is implied by the element symbol Zr.