Mass number number of protons in a nucleus, and thus uniquely identifies an element. Hence, the difference between the mass number and the atomic number gives the number of neutrons ("N") in a given nucleus: . The mass number is written either after the element name or as a superscript to the left of an element's symbol. For example, the most common isotope of carbon is carbon-12, or , which has 6 protons and 6 neutrons. The full isotope symbol would also have the atomic number ("Z") as a subscript to the left of the element symbol directly below the mass number:
Atomic mass unit of carbon-12 in 0.012 kg of carbon-12. This can be expressed mathematically as Molecular masses of proteins are often expressed in kilodaltons (kDa or kD). For example, a molecule of a protein with molar mass has a mass of 64 kDa. In research and commerce, the degree of polymerization of synthetic polymers is conventionally expressed in daltons. The US Supreme Court based a major precedent of appellate law on a disputed case of counting daltons for a molecular distribution. Atomic mass unit The unified atomic mass unit or dalton (symbol: u, or Da) is a standard unit of mass that