QQuestionChemistry
QuestionChemistry
How many electrons, protons, and neutrons does gold have?
How many protons, electrons, and neutrons are in an atom of gold?
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Answer
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Step 1:
First, let's identify the atomic number and atomic mass of gold. According to the periodic table, gold has an atomic number of 79 and an atomic mass of approximately 196.96 u (unified atomic mass units).
Step 2:: The atomic number of an element is the number of protons in its nucleus.
Therefore, gold has 79 protons. \boxed{\text{Number of protons in gold} = 79}
Step 3:: The number of electrons in a neutral atom is equal to the number of protons.
Since gold has 79 protons, it also has 79 electrons. \boxed{\text{Number of electrons in gold} = 79}
Step 4:: Neutrons are neutral particles found in the nucleus of an atom.
&= \frac{196.96 \, u - 79}{1 \, u} \
Their number is not fixed for a given element and can vary, leading to different isotopes. However, we can calculate the average number of neutrons in a gold atom by subtracting the number of protons from the atomic mass and dividing by the atomic mass unit (1 u). \begin{align*} &\approx 117.96 \end{align*}
Step 5:: Since the average number of neutrons is approximately 117.96, we can say that gold typically has around 118 neutrons.
\boxed{\text{Number of neutrons in gold} \approx 118}
Final Answer
- Gold has 79 protons. - Gold has 79 electrons. - Gold has approximately 118 neutrons.
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