Why do chemists use superscripts? Give an example.

Question

Explain please

Answer 1

Ionic charge like Mg²⁺ or Cl^1-

 

Mass Number for different isotopes.  For example, "carbon-13" is a carbon atom with a mass number of 13 because it has 6 protons (all C atoms have that) and 7 neutrons (only some C atoms have 7 neutrons, most have 6 neutrons). Carbon-13 is also written as ¹³C (usually also with a subscript 6 in front to indicate the protons)

Answer 2

It shows the number covalent bonds or ions within the elements.