How to Determine the Number of Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in an Element
Science can be a challenging subject to study. Throw in the periodic table and it may seem like there are too many letters and numbers coming your way. Figuring out the amount of protons, electrons and neutrons in an element doesn't have to be rocket science.
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Instructions
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Determining the Amount of Protons & Electrons
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1
Locate the element that you are trying to figure out the protons, neutrons, and electrons for.
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2
Locate the atomic number of the element from the periodic chart. This can be found by looking at the upper lefthand corner in the box where the element is located. The atomic number is going to alert you to the number of protons in a specific element.
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3
Calculate the number of electrons by using the atomic number. An atom must contain the same number of protons and electrons. Thus, the atomic number of the element will indicate the number of electrons.
Determining the Amount of Neutrons
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4
Locate the atomic number of the element that you are trying to determine the amount of neutrons on.
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5
Round the number up to the nearest whole number. For example, if the atomic weight was 36.43, you would round down to 35. If the atomic weight was 75.78, you would round the atomic weight to 76.
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6
Keep track of what your rounded number is.
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7
Retrieve the number of protons or electrons that you calculated earlier. (Remember, they are always going to be the same number.)
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8
Subtract the number of protons (or electrons), from the number in step 3, which was your rounded atomic weight. This will give you the correct amount of neutrons in the element you are trying to figure out. For example, if the number for protons was 34 and the rounded atomic weight was 76, you would have 76-34=42. Forty-two would then be the number of neutrons in an element.
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