Question

In a nuclear symbol, the mass number is placed as a superscript before the chemical symbol?

A) Subscript before the chemical symbol.
B) Superscript after the chemical symbol.
C) Superscript before the chemical symbol.
D) Subscript after the chemical symbol.

Answer 1

The mass number in a nuclear symbol is placed as a superscript before the chemical symbol, making the correct answer (C) Superscript before the chemical symbol.

Step-by-step explanation:

In a nuclear symbol, the mass number is correctly placed as a superscript before the chemical symbol, which makes the answer to the question choice (C) Superscript before the chemical symbol.

For instance, the nuclear symbol for carbon-14 is written with the atomic number 6 as a subscript and the mass number 14 as a superscript to the left of the chemical symbol (C). The atomic number, while essential, is sometimes omitted because the chemical symbol implies a specific atomic number. An example of this is ¹⁴C, commonly referred to as "carbon-14".