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Yes, but only in nuclear reactions. If an atom emits an alpha particle, it will lose two protons to the emitted particle.

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Q: Can an atom gain or lose protons why or why not?
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Do atoms lose protons but seldom lose or gain electrons?

No. Atoms can gain and lose electrons but seldom gain or lose protons.


An atom does not easily lose or gain electrons if it has?

An atom does not easily lose or gain electrons if is has an equal number of protons and electrons. The charges inside the atom cancel each other, making it neutral.


What cannot change in an atom is it protons neutrons or electrons?

An atoms protons cannot change.The number of neutrons can change (gain or lose) to form an isotope (ex. Hydrogen naturally has no neutrons. But it can gain neutrons to form Heavy Hydrogen, or in other words, a Hydrogen Isotope).An atom can gain or lose electrons to form an ion. Usually an atom will gain or lose electrons to fill its valence (outermost) shell. It takes just as much energy to gain an electron as it is to lose one, so an atom will always look to lose or gain the least amount of electrons possible. (ex. Oxygen has 6 valence electrons. It will look to gain 2 electrons, rather than lose 6).Protons: DO NOT CHANGENeutrons: Can change to form an isotopeElectrons: Can change to form an ion


To become a negative ion does an atom lose or gain electron?

The atom needs to gain an electron so it has more than the protons Hope I helped


What part of an atom must change for the atom to become a new element?

An atom must gain or lose protons from its nucleus to become an atom of another element. The number of protons, and to a much lesser extent the number of neutrons, will determine the chemical properties of an element.


Determine the typical charge for an atom?

An atom is always neutrally charged, with equal numbers of protons and electrons. As soon as elements lose or gain electrons, they become ions.


Does a positive atom gain protons?

no, it looses them


Would an atom with 3 electrons in level M tend to gain or lose electrons?

That depends on the element. Any such atom with more than four protons will gain electrons to become electrically neutral. If that atoms has four protons (beryllium) then it will be able to form a stable ion with two electrons. If it is left with three electrons it will either gain an electron to form a neutral atom or, if in the presence of an oxidizing substance, lose an electron to form an ion. If the atom has three protons (lithium) it will form a stable, neutral atom with three electrons but will lose one electron when it reacts to form a stable ion. If that atom has two protons (helium) then it will only be stable with two electrons and will gain or lose electrons accordingly to maintain that number. If the atom has one proton (hydrogen) then it will tend to share electrons rather than gaining or losing them. It forms a neutral atom with one electron but can form an ion with two. It has no stable configuration with three electrons.


Does a carbon atom lose or gain electrons?

gain


How does an ion develop?

An ion is an atom with a charge. This means that the number of electrons does not match the number of protons, thus giving it a charge. If there are more electrons, it has a negative charge. If it has more protons, it has a positive charge. Remember though, an atom cannot lose or gain protons, only electrons.


What part of an atom defines what type of element it is?

Valence electron describes type of element. It either lose or gain electron.


Is atomic number the number of electrons in an atom?

Technically it is the number of protons, which is the same as the number of electrons in a neutral atom. But since most atoms can either gain or lose electrons to form ions it is still best to base atomic number on the protons.