Atoms & Isotopes

Front

What is an atom?

Back

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

Front

What are isotopes?

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 isotope?

Back

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

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

What is the mass number of an atom?

Back

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

Front

How many protons are in Lithium-6?

Back

Lithium-6 has 3 protons.

Front

How many neutrons are in Lithium-6?

Back

Lithium-6 has 3 neutrons (6 mass number - 3 protons = 3 neutrons).

Front

What is the difference between isotopes of the same element?

Back

The difference lies in the number of neutrons, which affects the mass number but not the chemical properties.

Front

How many protons are in Nitrogen-16?

Back

Nitrogen-16 has 7 protons.

Front

How many neutrons are in Nitrogen-16?

Back

Nitrogen-16 has 9 neutrons (16 mass number - 7 protons = 9 neutrons).