1. How many neutrons are in an atom of potassium?
I really only want to know how to find the number of neutrons in an atom because that would help me a lot for the following questions.
In order to work this you must know WHICH K atom; ie. is it K40 or K41 or one of the other isotopes.
#protons + # neutrons = mass number
The # protons is the atomic number from the periodic table. The mass number of the mass number of K; i.e.,K40 or which ever isotope. The number of neutrons is the difference between the mass number and the atomic number.
For example,C-13.
Atomic number is 6 from the periodic table.
Mass number is 13 so
6+#neutrons = 13
#neutrons = 7
Yeah, 7
In any isotope of K every nucleus has 19 Protons
The most common isotope has atomic mass of 39
so
39 - 19 = 20 neutrons
However watch out because K also has isotopes with mass of 40 and 41
so there could be 21 or 22 neutrons
I suspect that your teacher just wants the common isotope andswer though.
Remember Dr Bob did Carbon as an example.
Thank you everyone! :)
Yeah, my teacher wants the one with 39 for the atomic mass. Time for 19 more questions :(
You are welcome.
To find the number of neutrons in an atom of an element, you need to know the atomic number and the atomic mass of that element.
1. The atomic number of an element represents the number of protons in its nucleus. It is typically represented by the letter "Z". For potassium (K), the atomic number is 19.
2. The atomic mass of an element represents the sum of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. It is typically represented by the letter "A". For potassium (K), the atomic mass is approximately 39.10 atomic mass units (amu).
To determine the number of neutrons (N), you subtract the atomic number from the atomic mass:
N = A - Z
For potassium (K), N = 39.10 amu - 19 = 20.10 amu.
Therefore, an atom of potassium contains approximately 20 neutrons.
1:a
2:a
3:d
4:c
5:a
6:b
7:b
8:d
9:b
10:a
11:a
I SWEAR ITS RIGHT NO JOKE
THANKS!!!