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An atom of potassium has an atomic number of 19 and a mass number of 39 - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 4 - 2016 - Paper 1

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An atom of potassium has an atomic number of 19 and a mass number of 39. (i) Complete the table to show the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in this potassi... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:An atom of potassium has an atomic number of 19 and a mass number of 39 - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 4 - 2016 - Paper 1

Step 1

Complete the table to show the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in this potassium atom.

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Answer

In a potassium atom with an atomic number of 19 and a mass number of 39:

  • Protons: 19 (equal to the atomic number)
  • Neutrons: 39 - 19 = 20 (mass number - atomic number)
  • Electrons: 19 (electrons equal to protons in a neutral atom)

Thus, the completed table will show:

number of
protons19
neutrons20
electrons19

Step 2

Describe the positions of these particles in the potassium atom.

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Answer

In a potassium atom:

  • Protons and neutrons are located in the nucleus at the center of the atom.
  • Electrons are found in shells or orbitals around the nucleus, moving in defined energy levels.

Step 3

State the electronic configuration of this potassium atom.

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Answer

The electronic configuration of a potassium atom is represented as:

2.8.8.12.8.8.1

This indicates the distribution of electrons in the energy levels (shells) around the nucleus.

Step 4

Give the relative mass of an electron.

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Answer

The relative mass of an electron is approximately:

11837\frac{1}{1837}

This indicates that the mass of an electron is very small compared to that of protons and neutrons.

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