Atoms, Isotopes, Ions

Front

What is an atom?

Back

An atom is the smallest unit of matter that retains the properties of an element, consisting of protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Front

What is the mass number of an atom?

Back

The mass number is the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.

Front

What is an isotope?

Back

Isotopes are variants of a particular chemical element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.

Front

How do you determine the number of neutrons in an atom?

Back

The number of neutrons can be determined by subtracting the atomic number (number of protons) from the mass number.

Front

What is an ion?

Back

An ion is an atom or molecule that has a net electrical charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons.

Front

What is the atomic number of an element?

Back

The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, which determines the element's identity.

Front

How many protons does a lithium atom (Li) have?

Back

A lithium atom has 3 protons.

Front

What is the relationship between protons and electrons in a neutral atom?

Back

In a neutral atom, the number of protons equals the number of electrons.

Front

What is the significance of the atomic mass of an element?

Back

The atomic mass is a weighted average of the masses of an element's isotopes, reflecting the relative abundance of each isotope.

Front

How can you identify an isotope of an element?

Back

An isotope can be identified by its mass number, which is the sum of protons and neutrons.