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Chemistry Forums for Students => High School Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: portiagriffey on July 08, 2020, 03:46:57 PM

Title: Atomic number top or bottom
Post by: portiagriffey on July 08, 2020, 03:46:57 PM

Very simple question - I need to sit an equivalency exam and have never studies chemistry !!  First lesson my books, and asking the internet all puts the atomic number on top and the mass number underneath the symbol. But BBC bitesize chemistry and Oak National online year 9 lessons does it the other way around - what is the UK standard form? Thank you.

Title: Re: Atomic number top or bottom
Post by: Borek on July 08, 2020, 04:17:51 PM

As far as I am aware there is no such thing as a "standard UK form", there is a standard notation defined by IUPAC in the Green Book (https://iupac.org/what-we-do/books/greenbook/), and it calls for the atomic number at the bottom.

Title: Re: Atomic number top or bottom
Post by: jeffmoonchop on July 08, 2020, 06:06:14 PM

Its the smaller number