Question

Determine the element symbol, mass number, and charge for an atom or ion that has a 51 neutrons, 38 protons, and 36 electrons.

Answer 1

Answer:

Strontium

Explanation:

To find the element, we need to know the atomic number. There is this rule in chemistry that says that the number of protons and the atomic number are the same. Since we know that there are 38 protons, the atomic number is also 38, leading us to Strontium. Sr -- element symbol.

The mass number is located below the element symbol on a periodic table. The mass number or the atomic mass for Strontium is 87.62 u.

Since there are an uneven amount of protons and electrons, let's subtract the number of electrons from the number of protons to find the difference. 38-36 = 2. (Also, protons are positive and electrons are negative, meaning there are more + than - in the ionic charge). Which means, the atom has a +2 ionic charge.