could someone plz try and explain to me neutrons protons and electrons?

Question

no matter how many times i seem to try and get my head around it i get confused because every periodic table i seem to look at is different

Answer 1

Atomic NUMBER = number of protons
Atomic MASS = number of neutrons + Atomic Number
NUCLEUS = Protons & Neutrons
Electrons around the Nucleus.

EASY WAYS TO REMEMBER:
P-protons have a PRO- (positive) charge
N-neutrons are NEUTRal- no charge
which leaves Electrons to be negative charge.

Electrons have a negative charge (Negative, we'll say bad)..
thus they are kept OUTSIDE of the nucleus.

Positive charge = Negative charge
Protons = Electrons

So how do we find out Neutrons????
We know the ATOMIC MASS and we know ATOMIC NUMBER
so simple mathematical equation

Atomic mass = Protons + Neutrons
Atomic mass = Atomic number + Neutrons
Atomic mass - Atomic number = Neutrons

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periodic tables are a bit different in lay-out... but all the information on it is the SAME.
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if u need help in basic chem... i can tutor you/help you out...
[e-mail]

:)

good luck with ur studies.

Answer 2

Neutrons are neutral species - found in the nucleus(core) of an atom.
Protons are positive species - found in the nucleus (core) of an atom.
Electrons are negative species - found in energy levels around the nucleus (core) of an atom.

The total number of protons is the atomic number. (Z)
The total number of protons and neutrons is the atomic mass.(Mr)
As atoms a electrically neutral, the number of protons must equal the number of electrons.
If the number of protons and electrons differs then it is a charged species called an 'ION'.

Some examples.
Hydrogen. (Z = 1)(Mr = 1)
one Proton (+)
one Electron (-)
Deuterium (Heavy hydrogen) (Z= 1) (Mr = 2)
One proton (+)
One Neutron (.)
One Electron (-)
Tritium (Super Heavy Hydrogen) (Z = 1)( Mr = 3)
One Proton (+)
Two Neutrons (..)
One Electron (-)
Deuterium and Tritium are ISOTOPES of hydrogen.
The next element in the periodic table is HELIUM (He)(Z = 2)(Mr = 4)
Two Protons (++)
Two Neutrons (..)
Two Electrons(--)

The Sodium Ion (Na+)(Z= 11)(Mr = 23)
11 Protons (+++++++++++)
12 Neutrons(............)
10 Electrons (----------)
Carbon - 12 (C) (Z= 6)( Mr = 12)
6 Protons
6 Neutrons
6 electrons
Carbon - 13 (an Isotope)( Z = 6 )(Mr = 13)
6 Protons
7 Neutrons
6 Electrons.

NB: All the other elements in the Periodic Table have the same arrangement of protons neutrons and electrons but with different numbers per atom.

Answer 3

This is not the precise definition but will help you go a long way to understanding - in due course you will appreciate that the precise definitions are much more complicated.

The best analogy to the atom is the solar system.

If you imagine the sun to be the nucleus and the planets to be the protons the moons to be the electrons.

The nucleus in reality is much smaller than the protons and electrons - and it is not electrically charged i.e neutral.

The proton is positively charged and the electron is negatively charged.

With respect to the periodic table, The order of placement of the elements is attributed to the number of protons in each element.

Therefore Hydrogen has 1 proton and 1 neutron and is number 1 on the periodic table . Helium has 2 protons and is number 2 on the table and etc etc.

The number of electrons also varies.. Hydrogen has no electrons and therefore it carries a positive charge. Helium has 2 protons and 2 electrons and is neutral - no electrical charge.

The number of electrons an atom has also depends on its placement on the periodic table. Electron's occupy orbits around the nucleus and rather like passengers on a bus they prefer to fill their places alone. However as each place " Valency " is filled eventualy the electrons will pair up from the lowest state to the higher states. It is this movement from lower to higher states that we ascribe to as electricity - energy is released when an electron goes from a higher to lower state.

You can think of electrons as particles of matter or as a distributed wave of energy.

Protons are extremely resiliant they will clump together around the nucleus and they form the basis of the atom - i.e 12 Protons in carbon.

The number of neutrons in an atom is more complicated - you 1st find the element in the periodic table. The you look at its Atomic weight - by subtracting the atomic weight of the atom by its place in the periodic table ( Protons ) you get the number of Neutrons.
I.e Krypton is placed 36 in the periodic table - as a consequence it has 36 Protons ; The Atomic weight of Krypton is 83.80.

So round up to nearest whole number 84 - 36 equal 48 ( 48 neutrons ! )

That is also why superman was incredibly strong ! his atomic weight was 3 times that of our carbon based life. since he came from the planet of Krypton !

Answer 4

Atoms contain three sub-atomic particles called protons, neutrons and electrons. The protons and neutrons are found in the nucleus at the centre of the atom, and the electrons are arranged in energy levels or shells around the nucleus.

Protons - Protons have a positive (+) charge.

Neutrons - Neutrons have no charge, they are "neutral" hence the name.

Electrons - Electrons have a negative (-) charge.

Atoms of each kind are composed of different numbers of protons, neutrons, and electrons. The atoms of each element have a unique number of protons in their nuclei, for example, Carbon has six, Oxygen has eight. This unique number of protons is called the "atomic number" of the element. Since each proton carries a positive charge and neutrons have no electrical charge, the atom's nucleus has an overall positive charge equal in magnitude to the number of protons it contains.

Protons and neutrons have "about" the same mass, and under normal conditions each atom of an element usually has approximately the same number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus. The sum of an atom's neutrons and protons is called its "atomic mass". Thus carbon with its six protons and six neutrons has an atomic mass of twelve.

In chemistry we are particularly interested in electrons. As you will see later, this is because chemical reactions involve the rearrangement of electrons. Nuclei of atoms (protons and neutrons) usually remain unchanged (except in radioactive decay).

***Please note that the number in eac periodic table seems to look different because the mass numbers are being rounded up to different decimal points. When you are working out any chemical problem, use the mass number that the periodic table that you are working with has.

Answer 5

Periodic tables are all the same.

Protons are in the nucleus of an atom. Protons are positively charged. The atomic number of an atom is the number of protons it has.

Neturons are in the nucleus of an atom. Neutrons are neutral in charge.

Electrons are in orbits or shells outside of the nucleus of the atom. Electrons are negatively charged.

For the most part the number of electrons and protons in an atom are equal.

Hydrogen 1 proton, and one electron
Helium 2 protons, and 2 electrons
etc. etc.

Answer 6

It could be Argon, Potassium or Chlorine... It is hard to identify an atom simply by the number of neutrons. For example, even a hydrogen atom, with one proton, can have 0, 1, or 2 neutrons. The most common atom with 2 neutrons is Helium. However, an atom with 19 neutrons is not a common occurrence. Generally, the number of neutrons = Atomic weight (the higher number given with an element in the periodic table) - the Atomic number (the smaller number given at the top of the element)

Answer 7

The number of protons are fixed for each atom. This will always be the smaller of the two numbers in each box on the periodic table. (e.g. hydrogen always has 1)

The number of neotrons can vary for each type of atom. For example hydrogen atoms can have 0, 1 or 2 neutrons(possibly more). The average molecular mass is the average number of protons+neutrons which is the bigger number in boxes of the periodic table.

The number of electrons is equal to the number of protons if the atom is neutrally charged. Since protons and electrons have equal and opposite charges.

Answer 8

Electrons are negatively charged, have no detectable mass, and are found in orbits around the nucleus.
Protons are positively charged, have a small mass, and are found in the nucleus.
Neutrons are neutral, have the same mass as a proton (plus the almost undetectable mass of an electron), and are found in the nucleus.

Answer 9

well once upon a time in the land of trons there were three groups that just could not get along. There were the god worshipping protons and the elected officials that they paid to support their views called electrons. This arrangement worked for a short time and then the neutrons came and said this isnt fair time for science to be the the guiding light. They were the neutrons.

Answer 10

Protons are particles with +ve charge and electrons are particles with -ve charge. Neutrons dont have charge...