How can an element or atom can have more neutrons than protons?

Answer 1

in chemistry we look at the Atomic Mass:(symbol A)

and we look at atomic number:(symbol Z)

Z is the number of proton.

you do math: A-Z=number

if that number is bigger then Z, neutrons are more than protons

remember: A=protons+neutrons

Answer 2

Yes

Answer

The number of protons determines the element, the number of neutrons with that number of protons determines the isotope (isotopes are atoms with the same number of protons but with different number of neutrons) and the number of electrons determines the ionization state.

Answer 3

In the Periodic Table the atoms are arranged in increasing atomic number. The number of neutrons go on increasing as the atomic number increases. The increase in the number of neutrons increase out of proportion to the number of protons. The question is why this happens. Here is the guess work about the same. There is no nucleus with only two or more protons in the nucleus. That is not possible. The reason looks to be simple. The positive charges of proton can not stay together with out the neutron with the no charge. (You do not talk about the hydrogen. as it has got the single proton and there is no question of repulsion in that case.)

There are only few elements in which the number of protons and neutrons is same in case of most of the atoms. For example helium, carbon, nitrogen, neon, magnesium, sulfur and calcium has got the same number of protons and neutrons in their nucleus.

Then up to the phosphorus, which has got atomic number 15, you have got only one neutron in excess of the number of protons, in the nucleus. The potassium also could manage with one extra neutron in the nucleus. The silver has got the atomic number 47 and it manages with about 14 extra neutrons. This number is little less than one third the atomic number.

Then you have got the Mercury atom with the atomic number 80. It manages with about 40 extra neutrons. This is half the number extra than the number of protons.

Uranium has got atomic number 92. It has got 54 extra neutrons in the nucleus.Here the number of neutrons exceed the ratio that is present in the mercury. But the atom is unstable in spite of these extra neutrons.

The neutrons looks to act as stabilizing material. It acts like cement, which assembles the bricks together in the structure of the building.

One tend to presume that there is a ball of protons and the neutrons in the nucleus. In that case it will not be possible for the neutrons and the protons to maintain the spin of the individual particle.

Most probably the protons and the neutrons are placed like a tall building. One placed above the other alternately. This structure will allow the nucleus to spin with same speed.

As the height of the 'building' increase, you need that extra cementing material. But eventually the structure becomes unstable say after the element lead or bismuth, in periodic table.

Answer 4

As the atomic number increases the positive charge is to be evenly distributed. hence more neutrons are required.

Answer 5

Normally, for elements with atomic number more than 20, there are more neutrons than protons.

Answer 6

An isotope of an element has more or fewer elections than it normally does. The number of protons and neutrons do not change.