Question

fill in the missing words
the atomic number of a cobalt-59 isotope is 　. the mass number is 　, the number of protons is 　, the number of electrons is 　, the number of neutrons is 　.

Explanation:

Step1: Recall atomic number of cobalt

Cobalt has an atomic number of 27 (this is a known value from the periodic table, representing the number of protons in a neutral atom of cobalt).
So, atomic number = 27, number of protons = 27.

Step2: Determine mass number

The isotope is cobalt - 59, so the mass number is 59 (the mass number is the superscript in the isotope notation, which is the sum of protons and neutrons).

Step3: Find number of electrons

In a neutral atom, the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons. Since the number of protons is 27, the number of electrons is also 27.

Step4: Calculate number of neutrons

The formula for the number of neutrons is \( \text{Number of neutrons}=\text{Mass number}-\text{Atomic number} \).
Substituting the values: \( 59 - 27 = 32 \).

Answer:

The atomic number of a cobalt - 59 isotope is \( 27 \). The mass number is \( 59 \), the number of protons is \( 27 \), the number of electrons is \( 27 \), the number of neutrons is \( 32 \).