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Can the number of neutrons or electrons in an atom of an element change?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
If you take a proton away from an element, the whole element will change. For example, you take away one proton from Mercury, then you would have gold. People have tried this for many years but so for it's impossible. If you change the number of protons in a atom, it would change the whole substance.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 7y agoNo, if the number of protons changes, the element changes
Of course Carbon-14 will undergo radioactive decay to form nitrogen-14 via beta decay where a neutron is converted to a proton with the emission of an electron. This is sort of an example of the number of protons changing - but once it changes, the atom is no longer carbon - it is nitrogen at that point.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoNo. Changing the number of protons in an atom would lead to a different element(If that's possible) Changing the number of neutrons in an atom would give a different isotope of the same element (e.g carbon-12 and carbon-13 and chlorine-35 and chlorine-37).
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoYes, electrons can change, that is what is called an ion. Positively charged ions have lost an electron, so there are more protons then electrons, elements lose their electrons at varying levels of difficulty, but hydrogen loses an electron fairly easily to become what is called H+. Negatively charged ions have gained an electron, and so have one more electron then proton, again elements accept electrons at varying amounts of difficulty, and a varying amounts at a time. Hydrogen again likes to accept electrons to have a full first valence shell, and becomes H-.
The number of neutrons can also change, these are called isotopes. One example of an isotope is plutonium-239. Plutonium must be made an isotope before it can be used for nuclear weapons, but making an isotope is very difficult, thankfully plutonium-239 is a byproduct of the reaction in a nuclear reactor. Plutonium-239 is the most important of the unstable isotopes for plutonium.
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoNo. All atoms of the same element have the same number of protons in their nuclei. The number of protons identifies an element and is called its atomic number. However, the number of neutrons in the atomic nucleus can vary, and this is what creates different isotopes of the same element.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agono because if number of protons changes then atom changes. and atom is classified according to its number of protons.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoNo. Never Ever. EVER. You would be talking about a totally different element.
Unless it's radioactive...but that's a whole different story.
Wiki User
∙ 7y agoNo. If the number of protons were to change, it would no longer be carbon.
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How many neutrons and electrons are in the element americium?
Americium has 95 protons and electrons. Number of neutrons: atomic mass of an isotope - number of protons
How many protons neutrons and electrons does si-28 have?
Silicon 28 (28Si) has 14 protons, neutrons and electrons.
Protons electrons and neutrons in any given atom?
The atomic number of a chemical element is equal to the number of electrons or protons. The number of neutrons = Atomic weight of an isotope (rounded) - atomic number of the element (or the number of protons)
What is the sum of protons and neutrons known as an element?
Sum of protons and neutrons is the Mass number of the element. The number of protons is equal to the number of electrons. Neutrons and protons are sub atomic particles.
In the atom what type of particle determines the element that atoms represent?
proton you can change the number of neutrons and electrons and still have the same element
What are the number of protons neutrons and electrons in an element?
Number of protons = Number of electrons = Atomic number Number of neutrons = Atomic number - Number of protons
Neutral atoms of the same element can differ in their number of what?
Neutrons. If the differ in electrons they are not neutral and if they differ in protons then they are no longer the same element as the number of protons determines the name of the element.
Does all the isotopes of an element have the same number of neutrons?
No, the number of neutrons vary, but protons and electrons are static among an element.
What effect produced by changing the number of neutrons in the nucleus of an atom?
What differentiates one element from another (like Hydrogen from Helium) is the number of protons in the nucleus. When protons are added (as happens in nuclear fusion) or subtracted (nuclear fission), the element transmutes into another element. When the number of Protons are changed, both the Electrons and Neutron (numbers) will change too. Protons are paired with electrons. Protons + Electrons = Neutrons, thus reinforcing that both the Electrons and Neutrons will change when the number of Protons has.
How many neutrons and electrons are in the nucleus of an atom?
The atomic number of a chemical element is equal to the number of electrons or protons. The number of neutrons = Atomic weight of an isotope (rounded) - atomic number of the element (or the number of protons)
How many neutrons and electrons are in the element americium?
Americium has 95 protons and electrons. Number of neutrons: atomic mass of an isotope - number of protons
What are the basic properties of an element?
the number of neutrons, protons, and electrons
Can an element have the same number of electrons and neutrons?
Yes, it can, but it doesn't have to.
What is the number of neutrons and electrons for the element sulfur?
16 for both
How many protons neutrons and electrons does si-28 have?
Silicon 28 (28Si) has 14 protons, neutrons and electrons.
How do you tell the number of neutrons in an element?
Subtract the atom number from the mass number to get the neutron. Mass number is the sum of neutrons and electrons. Atom number is the number of electrons. the number of electrons is equivalent to the number of protons.
Protons electrons and neutrons in any given atom?
The atomic number of a chemical element is equal to the number of electrons or protons. The number of neutrons = Atomic weight of an isotope (rounded) - atomic number of the element (or the number of protons)
