Compare with
atomic nucleus ,
nuclide and
element symbol .A symbol for an
nuclide that contains the
mass number as a leading superscript, the
atomic number as a leading subscript, and the charge on the nuclide as a trailing superscript. For example, the nuclide symbol for the most common form of the chloride ion is 3517Cl-, where 35 is the mass number, 17 is the atomic number, and the charge on the ion is -1. The atomic number is sometimes omitted from nuclide symbols.