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The number of protons in an atom gives the chemical identity of that atom. It's that atom's atomic number. In the case of lithium, it's atomic number is 3, so it has 3 protons in its nucleus. The element chlorine has the atomic number 17, so there are 17 protons in its nucleus. But we need to look further when we count nucleons in any atom.

The element lithium, with its 3 protons, comes in several different "forms" called isotopes. Each isotope has 3 protons, of course, but there are different numbers of neutrons in each isotope. Recall that a nucleon is either of the two "building blocks" of an atomic nucleus, either a proton or a neutron. The metal lithium has two naturally occurring forms, and they are lithium-6 and lithium-7. The isotope lithium-6 has 3 neutrons along with its 3 protons, and that sums to 6 nucleons. In the same manner, lithium-7 has 4 neutrons with its 3 protons, and that adds up to 7 nucleons. We've discovered the number of nucleons in each of the naturally found isotopes of this alkali metal from Group 1 of the Periodic Table. Note that the number of the isotope is the number of nucleons in the nucleus of the atom under investigation. With that in mind, let's look at chlorine.

For chlorine, we find three naturally occurring isotopes. They are chlorine-35, chlorine-36, and chlorine-37. They have 35, 36 and 37 nucleons, respectively, as you'd expect from the isotopic numbers cited for this halogen from Group 17 on the periodic table.

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Related Questions

What do you find when you subtract the proton number from the nucleon number?

In chemistry and physics, a nucleon is one of the two particles that make up the atomic nucleus. Protons are one of the nucleons, Neutrons are the other nucleon.Thus by subtracting the number of Protons in the nucleus (the Proton number) from the total number of nucleons (the nucleon number) you will get the total number of Neutrons (the neutron number) in the atoms nucleus.


What is lithium number of proton?

The atomic nucleus of lithium has 3 protons.


How can you get the nucleon number?

The nucleon number, also known as the mass number, can be found by adding the number of protons and neutrons in an atomic nucleus. It is represented by the letter A in the notation of an element's isotopes.


How many neutrons are in the nucleus of lithium?

Lithium Atomic number = number of proton = 3 Mass number = number of proton + neutrons = 7 Therefore number of neutrons = 7 - 3 = 4


What can you conclude about the particle labeled 1 1 P?

It has one nucleon. It has no neutrons. It has one proton.


Is the protron a nucleon?

Yes, the proton is a nucleon. The term nucleon is used to speak of component particles of the nucleus of an atom. That means either a proton or a neutron. The term nucleon can be applied to either the proton or neutron when speaking of these particles as building blocks of atomic nuclei. Use the link to the related question below for more information.


Why is proton number of an atom of an element different from the nucleon number of an atom of an element?

The difference between proton number (which is atomic number) and nucleon number, which is the number of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus, is the number of neutrons in the nucleus of a given nuclide. Nucleons are the components of an atomic nucleus. We know that both protons and neutrons make up an atom's nucleus. So the number of nucleons, which is the number of protons and neutrons, minus the number of protons, will equal the number of neutrons in the atomic nucleus.


What element has 3 proton's?

Lithium as number of protons is equal to the atomic number..


How do you determine the number of neutrons for a sodium atom?

Subtract the proton number or atomic number (11) from the nucleon number or the atomic mass (23) and you get the number of neutrons = '''12'''.


Why does lithium change to beryllium if you add a proton?

Adding a proton to a lithium nucleus transforms it into a beryllium nucleus by increasing its atomic number. This occurs because the number of protons in the nucleus defines the element, and adding a proton changes the element to the one with the next highest atomic number.


Can a nucleon be either a neutron or a proton?

A nucleon means either a proton or a neutron, yes. However it is conceivable that the word will be extended to mean anything forming the nucleus of an atom. For example researchers in CERN have managed to produce anti-hydrogen. The nucleus of such an atom would be an anti-proton. It might be reasonable to call that one a nucleon as well.


Determine the number of electrons in a neutral atom of lithium?

By consulting a periodic table, you can find the atomic number of lithium (which equals its proton number), as well as its average number of neutrons (represented by the mass number - simply take the proton number away from the mass number).