How Many Neutrons In Chlorine

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The structure of the nucleus

Atoms are fabricated up of protons, neutrons and electrons. Alter the number of neutrons in an atom and it becomes an isotope, change the number of electrons, it becomes an ion.

Construction of the nucleus

Mass number and atomic number are two of import pieces of information nigh a nucleus .

A nucleus can exist represented using the symbol annotation:

\[_{Z}^{A}\textrm{X}\]

Where:

A is the mass number
Z is the atomic number
Ten is the chemical symbol of the element
A - Z = number of neutrons Due north

For example, chlorine (Cl) tin be shown equally:

Chlorine atom with mass number 35 and atomic number 17.

Cl is the chemic symbol for chlorine

A chlorine nucleus volition contain:

Number of protons Z = 17
Number of protons + neutrons A = 35
Number of neutrons N = 35 - 17 = xviii

The chlorine atom volition also accept 17 electrons, equally an atom is neutral.

Atoms and isotopes

An element's atomic number defines it.

An element with 17 protons volition e'er be chlorine.

Yet an element'south mass numbers can vary, which ways that information technology can have different numbers of neutrons.

So although chlorine has a mass number of 35 which means it has 18 neutrons, information technology tin can also accept a mass number of 37, which means it has 20 neutrons.

The unlike types of chlorine are called isotopes of chlorine.

Isotopes are forms of an chemical element that accept the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.

In that location are three isotopes of hydrogen: hydrogen, deuterium (hydrogen-2) and tritium (hydrogen-3):

Table showing the three isoptopes of hydrogen, the first with 0 neutrons, the second with 1 neutron and the third with 2 neutrons.

Carbon has three isotopes: \(_{half-dozen}^{12}\textrm{C}\) , \(_{6}^{13}\textrm{C}\) and \(_{6}^{14}\textrm{C}\) . They all contain six protons, but half-dozen, seven and 8 neutrons respectively.

\(_{vii}^{14}\textrm{Northward}\) and \(_{6}^{14}\textrm{C}\) are not isotopes.

They have the same mass number, A, but dissimilar atomic number, Z, and different chemical symbol - they are not the aforementioned chemical element.

If the number of protons changes, and then it is a dissimilar element.

Question: How many protons does \(_{6}^{14}\textrm{C}\) contain?
: The diminutive number is 6 then \(_{6}^{xiv}\textrm{C}\) contains six protons.

Question: How many neutrons does \(_{6}^{fourteen}\textrm{C}\) contain?
: Number of neutrons = mass number - atomic number = 14 - 6 = 8 neutrons.

Question

Write down the number of particles in the following nuclei:

\[_{30}^{64}\textrm{Zn}\]

\[_{92}^{238}\textrm{U}\]

\[_{1}^{iii}\textrm{H}\]

\[_{30}^{64}\textrm{Zn}\]

Number of protons Z = xxx
Number of protons + neutrons A = 64
Number of neutrons Northward = 64 - thirty = 34
Since this is a nucleus in that location are no electrons

There are thirty protons and 34 neutrons.

\[_{92}^{238}\textrm{U}\]

Number of protons Z = 92
Number of protons + neutrons A = 238
Number of neutrons Northward = 238 - 92 = 146
Since this is a nucleus there are no electrons

In that location are 92 protons and 146 neutrons.

\[_{i}^{3}\textrm{H}\]

Number of protons Z = 1
Number of protons + neutrons A = iii
Number of neutrons N = three - 1 = ii
Since this is a nucleus at that place are no electrons

There is 1 proton and 2 neutrons.