There are 12 neutrons in a nuclide, which has a mass of #24*"amu"#. What is the identity of the nuclide?

1 Answer
Dec 5, 2017

Well, clearly there are 12 neutrons in the nucleus.

Explanation:

Atomic mass is to a good, first approximation the number of nuclear particles, which here is #24#...It was specified that #Z=12#, so there are 12 protons, and the balance must be neutrons.

We can further specify the identity of the nuclide as #""^24Mg#.

Capisce?