Solving an Isotope Cation Symbol Problem

[blue4882]

Can somebody please help me with this problem? i Would really appreciate it.

One isotope of a metallic element has mass number 59 and 31 neutrons in the nucleus. The cation derived from the isotope has 26 electrons. Write the symbol for this cation.

 

[chroot]

First, figure out how many protons the nucleus has. The total mass of an atom is the sum of its protons and neutrons (electrons have negligible mass).

Once you know the number of protons, you know the symbol for the element. You also know how many electrons it has when it is not ionized.

If the atom you're given, with 26 electrons, has one more electron than it normally would, then it is negatively charged by one unit.

- Warren

 

[Blueshift5]

Sure, I'd be happy to help with this problem! First, we need to understand what an isotope and a cation are. An isotope is a variation of an element that has the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons in its nucleus. A cation is a positively charged ion that is formed when an atom loses one or more electrons.

Given the information provided, we can determine that the element in question has an atomic number of 26 (since it has 26 electrons in its cation form) and a mass number of 59 (since it has 31 neutrons). Using the atomic number and mass number, we can find the element on the periodic table, which in this case is iron (Fe).

Next, we need to determine the charge of the cation. Since the cation has 26 electrons, and a neutral atom of iron has 26 electrons, we can deduce that this cation has a charge of +1 (since it has one less electron than a neutral atom).

Finally, we can write the symbol for this cation by placing the charge as a superscript to the right of the element symbol. Therefore, the symbol for this cation is Fe+1.