number of protons and electrons are same in an atom. then why is it wrong to say that atomic number of electron.
Answers
Explanation:
It is not wrong to say atomic number of an element is equal to its number of electrons. Atomic number of an neutral atom of an element is equal to the number of electrons or protons in an atom, because in a neutral atom number of electrons equal to number of protons. It is denoted by 'Z'.
Answer:
The number of protons in the nucleus of the atom is equal to the atomic number (Z).
The number of electrons in a neutral atom is equal to the number of protons.
The mass number of the atom (M) is equal to the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.
The number of neutrons is equal to the difference between the mass number of the atom (M) and the atomic number (Z).
Examples: Let's determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in the following isotopes.
12C 13C 14C 14N
The different isotopes of an element are identified by writing the mass number of the atom in the upper left corner of the symbol for the element. 12C, 13C, and 14C are isotopes of carbon (Z = 6) and therefore contain six protons. If the atoms are neutral, they also must contain six electrons. The only difference between these isotopes is the number of neutrons in the nucleus.
12C: 6 electrons, 6 protons, and 6 neutrons
13C: 6 electrons, 6 protons, and 7 neutrons
14C: 6 electrons, 6 protons, and 8 neutrons