Please help!
What do both an atom and an ion of the isotope of sodium, Na, contain?
a) 11 electrons
b) 12 neutrons
c) 23 protons
d) 23 neutrons
I really don't get the question. Ok, firstly, choice c and d are out, because it is the RMM of Na that is 23, not the number of neutrons or protons.
Then for choice a, an atom of Na has 11 electrons, but an ion of the isotope of Na wouldn't have 11 electrons, since it's an atom, right? But choice b is weird as well, because an atom of Na will have 12 neutrons, but an isotope wouldn't isnt it? Because isotopes have the same number of protons and electrons but different number of neutrons right???
So what is this question????
I think you are misreading the question. I think when they say "isotope" that they mean to compare the SAME isotope of a Na atoms with the SAME isotope of Na ion. Your logic is good.
A particular isotope of Na will have 11 electrons, 11 protons, 12 neutrons. The Na ion of that same isotope will have 10 electrons (or fewer), 11 protons, 12 neutrons.
I understand your confusion with the question. Let's break it down step by step to understand the concepts involved.
An atom of sodium (Na) typically has 11 electrons, as stated in choice a. This is because the atomic number of sodium is 11, which represents the number of protons in the nucleus. Since atoms are electrically neutral, the number of electrons is also 11.
Now, an ion is an atom that has gained or lost electrons, resulting in a net positive or negative charge. In the context of the question, it mentions an ion of the isotope of sodium. An isotope is a variation of an element with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.
For sodium, the most abundant and stable isotope is Sodium-23, denoted as Na-23. This means that Na-23 has 11 protons (since it is still sodium) but a different number of neutrons. An atom of Na-23 actually has 12 neutrons, as stated in choice b.
To summarize, choice a is correct for an atom of sodium (Na), which has 11 electrons. Choice b is correct for an atom of the isotope Sodium-23 (Na-23), which has 12 neutrons.
Therefore, the answer to the question is:
a) 11 electrons
I hope that clarifies the question for you! If you have any further questions, feel free to ask.