Do 1atom of sodium have same number of protons and electrons? Thanks.
2 Answers
My word.....
Explanation:
The sodium ATOM is defined by the presence of 11 positively charged nuclear particles. To maintain neutrality, and ALL matter is neutral to a first approx., there must be 11 electrons conceived to whizz around the nucular core. Of course the single valence electron is easily oxidized, and most of the time we deal with the sodium cation, i.e.
Yes All atoms of the same element have the same number of protons and electrons.
Explanation:
Sodium number 11 has 11 protons. If the atom had less or more than 11 protons it would not be Sodium
The 11 positive protons always attract 11 negative electrons. So a neutral metallic Sodium atom will always have both 11 protons and 11 electrons.
It is possible that you are confusing the number of neutrons with the number of protons and electrons. The number of neutrons is not always the same for all Sodium atoms. Most Sodium atoms have 12 neutrons to go with the 11 protons for a mass of 23. However some Sodium atoms have only 11 neutrons to make up a mass of 22. This is way the molar mass of Sodium is not a whole number.
