If an atom, let's say oxygen, has an equal amount of protons (8, positive charge) and electrons (8, negative charge), it's completely NORMAL. See, the atomic number IS the number for the protons and electrons (i.e: Oxygen's atomic number is eight, therefore its protons and electrons would also be eight.)
There are ways that atoms and molecules can gain or lose electrons. If an atom / molecule gains an electron, it will have a negative charge. If it loses an electron, it will have a positive charge. That having been said, the standard charge of an atom should be neutral. An atom will always have a nucleus made up of a specific number of protons (and in most cases the same number of neutrons). The number of electrons will be the same as the number of protons. Since protons have a positive charge and electrons have a negative charge, the equal number of the two will balance each other off. The only item that can vary is the number of neutrons. When the number of neutrons is different from the number of protons, the atom is called an isotope. Since neutrons have a neutral charge, though, this has no effect on the charge of the atom.
The charge of an atom is determined by the balance of protons and electrons it contains. Protons carry a positive charge while electrons carry a negative charge. When an atom has an equal number of protons and electrons, it is electrically neutral. If an atom gains or loses electrons, it becomes an ion with a net positive or negative charge.
Ordinarily, atoms are electrically neutral, for they have an equal number or electrons and protons. If however, some of the electrons have been stripped off, then the atom will have a nett positive charge. In this condition, it may be accelerated and steered by electrical forces. (Or magnetic forces as well.)
This statement is a basic fact in atomic physics and is commonly taught as part of the structure of an atom. It is not attributed to any specific individual as it is fundamental knowledge in the field.
The masses of protons and neutrons are on the order of 1x10-27 kg. The mass of an electron is on the order of 1x10-30 kg. So protons and neutrons, the particles found in a nucleus, weigh around 1000 times as much as the electrons outside the nucleus. So take helium-4 for example: 2 protons, 2 neutrons, and 2 electrons. Its nucleus is around 2000 times more massive than its two electrons. The term "concentrated" is also worth noting. Atoms are much, much, much bigger than their nuclei. A good analogy I often use for this is that if you put a penny in the middle of Giant's stadium, the atom would be the size of the stadium and the penny would be the size of a nucleus. A more specific example would be that the nucleus of a carbon atom has a radius of around 2x10-15 m, and the radius of a carbon atom is around 8x10-11 m. So the nucleus is 40,000 times smaller than the atom.
In a neutral atom, the number of protons (positively charged) and electrons (negatively charged) is the same. This is because the positive charge from protons is balanced by the negative charge from electrons, resulting in a neutral atom.
This is not true. The atomic number refers to the number of protons only.NOTE THAT in a neutral atom, the atomic number can be said to refer to both the number of protons and the number of electrons. This is because in order for an atom to be neutral, there must be equal number of electrons and protons.
An atom is uncharged or neutral when the number of protons in its nucleus is equal to the number of electrons surrounding the nucleus. This balance of positive and negative charges results in the atom having no overall charge.
In an atom, protons are positively charged and electrons are negatively charged. If the number of protons and electrons are equal, those atoms are said to be neutral. If they are not equal, it has formed an ion with the net charge.
Well it depends on the atom. Like for instance Hydrogen has 1 electron and 1 proton and Nitrogen has 7 protons and 7 electrons. If the atom is charged, then the number of protons and electrons are not equal. For example, hydrogen ion with +1 charge has 1 proton and 0 electrons. If the number of electrons is the same as the number of protons, then it is said to be neutral.
The atom has the same number of electrons as protons. An electron is negatively charged, where a proton is positively charged. For example, in a Hydrogen atom, it has 1 proton and 1 electron, the proton and electron cancel out (+1 + -1 = 0) making the atom neutral.
Because the number of electrons and protons is always equal.The protons are positively charged (+), the electrons are negatively (-) charged.When their number is equal the number of + and - is also equal.And equal number of - and + would of course give 0.0 represents neutral charge.
The number of electrons that surround the nucleus will determine whether or not an atom is electrically charged or electrically neutral. The amount of charge on a single proton is equal to the amount of charge possessed by a single electron. A proton and an electron have an equal amount but an opposite type of charge. Thus, if an atom contains equal numbers of protons and electrons, the atom is described as being electrically neutral. On the other hand, if an atom has an unequal number of protons and electrons, then the atom is electrically charged (and in fact, is then referred to as an ion rather than an atom). Any particle, whether an atom, molecule or ion, that contains less electrons than protons is said to be positively charged. Conversely, any particle that contains more electrons than protons is said to be negatively charged.
The number of protons in the nucleus is equal to the atomic number of that atom. Said another way, the atomic number of any element is the number of protons in the nucleus of any atom of that element.It might be helpful to consider some examples, and if we look at mercury, we'll see it has an atomic number of 80. All atoms of mercury have 80 protons in them. Aluminum has the atomic number of 13, so all atoms of it have 13 protons in them. Uranium, which has atomic number 92, has 92 protons in all of its atoms.The number of electrons and neutrons in a given atom of a given element can vary for a number of reasons, and these characteristics are considered separately. The number of electrons in any atom will match the number of protons in the nucleus of that atom only if the atom is a neutral one. Some atoms loan out or borrow electrons, and then they become what are called ions. The number of neutrons can vary, too, and we use the term isotope to talk about atoms of a given element having different neutron counts.The atomic number indicates the number of protons in an atom's nucleus.The number of protons in the nucleus is the atomic number of the atom.
Because in an atom,possitive charges(protons) equal to negative charges(electrons)
There are ways that atoms and molecules can gain or lose electrons. If an atom / molecule gains an electron, it will have a negative charge. If it loses an electron, it will have a positive charge. That having been said, the standard charge of an atom should be neutral. An atom will always have a nucleus made up of a specific number of protons (and in most cases the same number of neutrons). The number of electrons will be the same as the number of protons. Since protons have a positive charge and electrons have a negative charge, the equal number of the two will balance each other off. The only item that can vary is the number of neutrons. When the number of neutrons is different from the number of protons, the atom is called an isotope. Since neutrons have a neutral charge, though, this has no effect on the charge of the atom.
The charge of an atom is determined by the balance of protons and electrons it contains. Protons carry a positive charge while electrons carry a negative charge. When an atom has an equal number of protons and electrons, it is electrically neutral. If an atom gains or loses electrons, it becomes an ion with a net positive or negative charge.