Review: ATOMS, IONS, AND ISOTOPES

Front

What is an ion?

Back

An ion is an atom or molecule that has a net electrical charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons.

Front

What is the mass number of an atom?

Back

The mass number is the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.

Front

How do you determine the number of neutrons in an atom?

Back

Subtract the atomic number (number of protons) from the mass number.

Front

What is the atomic number of an element?

Back

The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, which determines the element's identity.

Front

What happens to an atom when it loses electrons?

Back

When an atom loses electrons, it becomes a positively charged ion (cation).

Front

What happens to an atom when it gains electrons?

Back

When an atom gains electrons, it becomes a negatively charged ion (anion).

Front

What is a neutron?

Back

A neutron is a subatomic particle found in the nucleus of an atom, with no electrical charge.

Front

What is a proton?

Back

A proton is a positively charged subatomic particle found in the nucleus of an atom.

Front

What is the difference between isotopes of an element?

Back

Isotopes are variants of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.

Front

What is the significance of the atomic mass of an element?

Back

The atomic mass is the weighted average mass of an element's isotopes, reflecting the relative abundance of each isotope.