How to Write the Symbol for Rhenium-188 (Including Atomic Number)

Understanding the Symbol for Rhenium-188

Rhenium-188 is an isotope of rhenium, a chemical element with the atomic number 75. When writing the symbol for rhenium-188, it is important to include both the mass number and the atomic number. How do we do this?

The Symbol for Rhenium-188

When writing the symbol for rhenium-188, including its atomic number, we use the following format:

18875Re

This symbol breakdown indicates that the mass number is 188, the atomic number is 75, and the chemical symbol for rhenium is Re. Therefore, the complete symbol for rhenium-188 would be written as 18875Re.

Final question:

Can you write the symbol for rhenium-188, including its atomic number?

Final answer:

The symbol for rhenium-188, including its atomic number, is written as 18875Re, where 188 is the mass number and 75 is the atomic number for rhenium.

Explanation:

The student has asked how to write the symbol for the rhenium-188 isotope, including atomic number. To write a nuclear symbol for an isotope, the mass number is placed at the upper left (superscript) of the chemical symbol, and the atomic number is placed at the lower left (subscript) of the symbol. For rhenium (Re), the atomic number (Z) is 75, so the symbol for rhenium-188, including the atomic number, would be written as 18875Re. This rendition clearly indicates that the isotope of rhenium has a mass number of 188 and an atomic number of 75.

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