Question

Answers section 4.2 structure of the nuclear atom 1. a sulfur-32 atom contains 16 protons, 16 neutrons, and 16 electrons. what is the mass (in grams) of a sulfur-32 atom? 2. the mass of a neutron is 1.67 x 10-24 g. approximately what number of neutrons would equal a mass of one gram?

Answer 1

1. a sulfur-32 atom contains 16 protons, 16 neutrons, and 16 electrons. what is the mass (in grams) of a sulfur-32 atom?

The mass in grams of a sulfur-32 atom is 32.

That is how the isotopes are identified, showing the mass number of the isotope, which is the sum of protons and neutrons: 16 protons + 16 neutrons = 32 mass number = mass in grams of the isotope.

2. the mass of a neutron is 1.67 x 10-24 g. approximately what number of neutrons would equal a mass of one gram?

divide 1 gram by the number of neutrons per gram:

number of neutrons = 1 g / 1.67 * 10 ^ - 24 g / neutrons = 0.5998 * 10 ^ 24 neutrons = 5.998 * 10 ^23 neutrons.