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It is possible for an atom to gain or lose protons, but we need to look closely at the situation to see what's up. We'll begin with a look at proton capture, which is a way an atom can gain a proton. The process called proton capture is one we will not see in too many places. That's not to say it's uncommon, but there are a limited number of sources of protons. One of the big ones is stars. In what is called stellar nucleosynthesis, we see protons and neutrons that are captured in the massive gravity well of the star. The "body" of the star is a superheated form of matter we call plasma. The plasma is essentially a "soup" of subatomic particles, and, though they have kinetic energies off the charts, they're all "smooshed" together there are are fusing. The primary fuel of stars is hydrogen, and hydrogen is fused in the proton-proton reaction to create helium. But later in the star's life after it exhausts its hydrogen, proton capture (rapid proton capture) builds heavier elements. We can see proton capture in experiments in nuclear physics using accelerators. Protons can be accelerated and slammed into target material, and this was the way that investigators created those heavier elements back in the day using the newly invented machine called a cyclotron. Ernest Lawrence, et al., rode through the Periodic Table and expanded it at the top end by several elements in just a few years. And they did all this using the protons accelerated by the cyclotron and then slammed into atomic targets in the reaction area. In proton emission, which is a form of radioactive decay, a nucleus that is in a highly excited state following something like beta decay, an excited nucleus could further decay by emission of a proton. This situation is unusual, and we generally only see it in the physics lab. It was cobalt-53 that was first noticed to exhibit the property. It's been observed in a couple of dozen other elements, too, but it took a while to sort it all out. Some links can be found below to allow the motivated investigator to learn more.

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Related Questions

What happens if the elements have different protons and electrons?

A neutral atom of a chemical element has a constant number of protons and electrons; loss or gain of electrons transform this atom in an ion.After the change of the number of protons the identity of the atom is lost.


What happens to the structure of an atom to change the atom into an ion?

An atom becomes an ion by gaining or losing electrons. When an atom loses electrons, it becomes a positively charged ion (cation) as it has more protons than electrons. On the other hand, when an atom gains electrons, it becomes a negatively charged ion (anion) as it has more electrons than protons.


Cations form when an atom gains electrons?

Cations are positive ions, so an atom is supposed to lose electrons to become a cation. Anions are formed when an atom gains electrons.


What happens when a atom loses an electron?

When an atom loses an electron, it becomes positively charged and is called a cation. This loss of an electron reduces the number of negatively charged electrons compared to the number of positively charged protons in the nucleus. The atom becomes more reactive as it seeks to gain electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration.


What happens when an atom loses or gains electrons?

it becomes a charged ion loose = positive gain= negative


What do you get if an atom gains or loses protons?

If atoms gain electrons, negatively charged anions are formed. If atoms lose electrons, positively charged cations are formed.


When an atom loses a electron it becomes a what?

Atoms balance out their charges by having the same amount of protons as electrons. Since protons are positive, and electrons are negative, losing an electron increases the positive charge of an atom. This makes it an ANION. If an atom were to gain an electron, it would make it a CATION.


Does a positive atom gain protons?

no, it looses them


Why can't an atom loose or gain a proton?

Atoms actually can loose neutrons, but they can't lose protons if they are to remain the same element. Loss of neutrons changes the atom into an isotope of its basic structure. It does not impact the atoms atomic number, just its atomic weight. Loss of protons would change the atoms atomic number. The atomic number defines what the atom is and its location on the periodic table. If an atom loses a proton or a group of protons, as happens in atomic fission, it forms two or more smaller atoms and releases the binding energy as energy to the overall system.


Can an atom gain or lose protons why or why not?

No, an atom cannot gain or lose protons. Protons are the positively charged particles within the nucleus of an atom, and changing the number of protons would change the atom's identity. However, atoms can gain or lose electrons, which affects their charge but not their identity.


Why some atoms gain or lose electrons to form ions.?

if an atom gains or loses electrons, it is no longer has an equal number of electrons and protons. Because the charges do not cancel completely, the atom has a net electric charge.


For the atom not to be an ion how should the number of electrons change?

In order for an atom to be an ion, it must have a charge. Atoms are naturally neutral, however, and have a charge of 0 because they have the same number of protons and electrons.In order for an atom to become an ion, it must lose or gain electrons. An atom WILL NOT become an ion if it loses or gains protons, though, because if the number of protons changes, its atomic number changes, and it becomes a different element. For example, if an atom loses one electron, it is now more positive, and its charge becomes +1.