how do you get electrons out of a symbol for an element?

Question

if the symbol for an element is [small number at the top]238[small number at the bottom]92[element]U

[im really sorry if that makes no sense theres no way to type it on here!]

i dont understand what the numbers mean
i think the bottom number is protons
then the top number is the mass number
and the number of neutrons is mass number-protons
so how do you find electrons?

Answer 1

Yes, you do understand that the numbers mean. The vast majority of atoms are charge-neutral, so they have the same number of electrons as protons. Metals have very mobile electons in the outer shell. It's the flow of these electrons from atom to atom that forms an electric current in a wire. At any instant, one atom in a wire
can have one electron missing or extra.

Also, that's the symbol for just one isotope of an element. Each element has several isotopes, varying in the number of neutrons.

Answer 2

To help you understand, read the example that following:


Here is a method to find the number of protons, electrons and neutrons in any atom.


PART I

You can use the

................. Z

......................E

...................A


Method to get your answer..
We can use Sulfur atom and the Sulfide -2 as an example

PART II
Take a look at the periodic table. Find S for sulfur, its right under O for oxygen. Sulfur and oxygen are in the same family (column). Find the whole number in the S box. That number is the atomic number. It's like an ID # for the element. This number also tell us the number of protons in that atom. So we know that a sulfur ATOM has 16 protons. Usuall y ATOMS are always electrical neutral. ........That means that the number of protons (+ charges) and the number of electrons (-negative charges) must be the same . In the case of sulfur, a sulfur atom has 16 protons and 16 electrons.

Part III
The only way that an atom becomes an ion (a charged particle) is to gain OR loose Electrons. Atoms do not change ,gain or loose protons.

Lets say an atom of sulfur wants to become a charged particle (an ion), its must change its electrons. HOW ? Here's how... Some other atom give away 2 electrons to the sulfur atom. When that happens, sulfur calles itself sulf-IDE (sulfide), it now has 2 more electrons.... 2 + 16 = 18 electrons, the number of protons does not change it is still 16 .
let's add it up -18 +16 = -2 the sulfide has a -2 charge.

Part I V
Back to the E Z A method... let E = the symbol for the element

let Z = the atomic number (number of protons for the element)
and let A = the atomic mass for the element.

To know the number of protons that's easy its 16 for sulfur
the number of electrons is also 16 in a NEUTRAL SULFUR ATOM that was easy too. , and if you want to know the number of neutrons

just subtract Z from A

A - Z = number of neutrons

a neutral sulfur atom has 32-16 = 16 neutrons

Answer 3

238 is the number of mass or the atomic weight, 92 is the number of proton or the atomic number, number of neutrons is 238-92=146 neutrons, number of electron=number of protons=92 if the element is neutral, if not ( if it is an ion for example) then u add 92+absolute value of the charge.

Answer 4

"Z", the atomic number, is equal to the number of protons in the nucleus of a particular atom. If the atom is neutral (no charge on it), then Z also equals the number of electrons. So just look at Z, that tells you the number of electrons.

btw, A = "mass number" = number of particles found in the nucleus, in other words the protons and neutrons added together.

To find number of neutrons, simply take A and subtract Z from it.

Answer 5

no. of protons = no. of electrons in the neutral atoms not in ions
in ions no. of electrons +/- the no. no. of charges upon it.
eg: Na has 11 electrons.
Na+,Mg2+ has 10 electrons.
Na- has 12 electrons. Mg- has 13 electrons