Chlorine has an atomic number of 17 - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 5 - 2014 - Paper 1
Question 5
Chlorine has an atomic number of 17.
Chlorine-35 and chlorine-37 are two isotopes of chlorine.
Complete the table to show the numbers of protons, neutrons and elect... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Chlorine has an atomic number of 17 - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 5 - 2014 - Paper 1
Step 1
number of protons
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Answer
For both isotopes of chlorine, the number of protons is equal to the atomic number, which is 17. Therefore:
Chlorine-35: 17 protons
Chlorine-37: 17 protons
Step 2
number of neutrons
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Answer
To find the number of neutrons in each isotope, subtract the atomic number (17) from the mass number.
Chlorine-35: 35 - 17 = 18 neutrons
Chlorine-37: 37 - 17 = 20 neutrons
Step 3
number of electrons
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Answer
In a neutral atom, the number of electrons equals the number of protons. Therefore: