In this I/GCSE Chemistry blog post, we will be looking at how protons and electrons are positioned in a element.
Ions, atoms, and isotopes
Atoms can lose or gain electrons.
- If an atom gains one or more electrons, it gains an overall negative charge, because there are more electrons than protons. It has become a negative ion.
- If an atom loses one or more electrons, it gains an overall positive charge, because there are more protons than electrons. It has become a positive ion.
- An ion is a charged atom
When representing the atomic number and mass number, the bottom number is its atomic number. The number of neutrons can be calculated by subtracting the atomic number from its mass number.
- Atoms of the same element always have the same number of protons.
However, they can have different numbers of neutrons. These are called isotopes.
Therefore, isotopes have the same atomic number but different mass number.
- Isotopes have different
physical properties like different densities or masses.
- However, they have the same chemical properties, because their reactions depend on their electronic structures.
That is it!
References:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fchem.libretexts.org%2FBookshelves%2FIntroductory_Chemistry%2FMap%253A_Introductory_Chemistry_(Tro)%2F04%253A_Atoms_and_Elements%2F4.07%253A_Ions_-_Losing_and_Gaining_Electrons&psig=AOvVaw1lInr1DdYwdp6HwlBFeZmN&ust=1628145853357000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCPjstIzilvICFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2F10.1007%2F978-3-319-39312-4_244&psig=AOvVaw21c5wbRiuPzcZZJpZuhCxr&ust=1628145896132000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCLje5aDilvICFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
Drafted by Venetia (Biology)