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Atomic Structure: Protons, Neutrons & Electrons
Atomic Structure: Protons, Neutrons & Electrons
Isotopes
Isotopes: atoms of the same element but with different numbers of neutrons Isotopes have different masses, the same number of protons and electrons but different numbers of neutrons. Atomic number: The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom Mass number: The number of particles in the nucleus of an atom (protons + neutrons) The atomic number is below the element symbol and the mass number is above it Different isotopes of the same element react in the same way because chemical reactions involve electrons, and neutrons make no difference to chemical reactivity.
Atomic masses
Instead of finding the mass of atoms directly, we compare the masses of different atoms using the idea of relative mass. The carbon-12 isotope has been chosen as the international standard for the measurement of relative mass.