Vanadium (V) has two naturally occurring isotopes: V-50 and V-51. How many neutrons are present in the isotope V-51?

• A. 51
• B. 23
• C. 28
• D. 50

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the isotope notation: V-51 means the isotope of Vanadium has a mass number (A) of 51.
2. Recall that the mass number (A) is the sum of protons (Z) and neutrons (N) in the nucleus: \(A = Z + N\).
3. Determine the atomic number (Z) of Vanadium, which is the number of protons. Vanadium has an atomic number of 23.
4. Rearrange the formula to find the number of neutrons: \(N = A - Z\).
5. Substitute the values: \(N = 51 - 23\), which gives the number of neutrons in the isotope V-51.