Question

Fill in the following: Sulfur--32 isotope notation: #p+ : #nº : #e- :

a) 16 : 16 : 32
b) 32 : 16 : 32
c) 16 : 32 : 16
d) 16 : 32 : 48

Answer 1

The Sulfur-32 isotope has 16 protons, 16 neutrons, and 16 electrons, so the correct notation is 16 : 16 : 16.

Step-by-step explanation:

The isotope notation for Sulfur-32 requires us to know the number of protons (p+), neutrons (n°), and electrons (e-) in the atom. Sulfur's atomic number (Z) is 16, which means there are 16 protons and, since it is a neutral atom, also 16 electrons. The mass number (A) of Sulfur-32 is the sum of protons and neutrons, which is 32. Therefore, the number of neutrons can be found by subtracting the atomic number from the mass number: 32 - 16 = 16 neutrons. The correct isotope notation for Sulfur-32 is 16 : 16 : 16.