Protons and neutrons have the same mass and are much larger and heavier than electrons. Protons have a positive charge, and neutrons have no charge and so are neutral. Both protons and neutrons are found in the nucleus of the atom (Figure 1.1). Electrons have a much smaller mass than protons and neutrons and have a negative charge. Electrons are found in the region of space surrounding the nucleus. Table 1.1 gives the properties of the three main subatomic particles.
Figure 1.1 Simplified structure of the atom (not to scale).
Table 1.1 Properties of subatomic particles.
| Particle | Symbol | Relative mass | Charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proton | p | 1 | +1 |
| Neutron | n | 1 | 0 |
| Electron | e |
|
−1 |
1.1.2 Mass number (A) and atomic number (Z)
Each element is described by the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons it possesses. These are represented by two quantities: the mass number (A) and the atomic number (Z) The mass number indicates the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of the atom (p + n). The atomic number gives the number of protons in a neutral atom of the element (p). A neutral atom must have the same number of protons as electrons, so Z also indicates the number of electrons (e).
The mass number gives the total number of protons and neutrons: A = p + n. The atomic number gives the total number of protons or electrons present in a neutral atom: Z = p or e.
For any element X, we can represent the information about the mass number, A, and atomic number, Z, as shown in Figure 1.2a. As you can see, the mass number is written as a superscript and the atomic number as a subscript in front of the symbol for the element.
Figure 1.2 (a) General representation of mass number and atomic number for the element X. (b) The mass number and atomic number for beryllium.
Information about the element beryllium is shown in Figure 1.2b using this convention.
Beryllium (Be) has an atomic number, Z, of 4; therefore, in a neutral molecule, there are 4 protons and 4 electrons. Beryllium has a mass number, A, of 9; therefore it has 5 neutrons (because the mass number is 9 and we already know that it has 4 protons from the atomic number, so 9 − 4 = 5 neutrons). The mass number is written as a superscript and the atomic number as a subscript before the symbol for the element.
Worked Example 1.1
How many protons, electrons, and neutrons are present in an atom of aluminium,
Solution
Aluminium exists as
Worked Example 1.2
How many protons, electrons, and neutrons are present in an oxide (O2−) ion? The symbol for an oxygen atom is
Solution
Oxygen exists as
Remember from the previous chapter that an ion is an atom or a group of atoms that has a charge.
1.1.3 Isotopes
Many elements possess isotopes. An isotope is an atom of an element that has a different mass number. Because all isotopes of the same element have the same atomic number (Z), the number of protons must be the same. This is always the case. If the number of protons has changed, the element has also changed! Isotopes differ in the number of neutrons in the nucleus of the atom. An example of an element that has isotopes is bromine, which naturally exists in two forms:
contains 35 protons, 35 electrons, and 44 neutrons.
contains 35 protons, 35 electrons, and 46 neutrons.
These isotopes are sometimes written as bromine‐79 (79Br) and bromine‐81 (81Br).
You will meet the average relative atomic mass of an element in Chapter 3.1.1.
An isotope is an atom of an element that has the same atomic number but differs in the number of neutrons and therefore mass number.
In naturally occurring bromine, the ratio of 79Br to 81Br is 50.5 : 49.5. This means that in 100 bromine atoms, 50.5 will be 79Br and 49.5 will be 81Br. The proportion naturally occurring of each isotope is called the relative abundance or isotopic abundance. Knowing the relative abundance of each isotope and its mass number allows us to calculate the average mass of one atom of the element as shown here for bromine:
Note that the answer calculated has been given no units as A, the mass number, is unitless. The actual unit for the answer is the atomic mass unit (amu), which is an extremely small quantity. However, the unitless answer obtained is equal to the average relative atomic mass, Ar, of the element which is covered in Chapter