4.

4 Atomic Number and Mass Number

All atoms of an element

have the same number
of protons and the
same atomic number.

Learning Goal Given the atomic number and the mass

number of an atom, state the number of protons, neutrons,
and electrons.
General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Atomic Number

The atomic number

• is a whole number specific for each element.
• is the same for all atoms of an element.
• is equal to the number of protons in an atom.
• appears above the symbol of an element in the
periodic table.

Atomic number 11
Symbol
Na
General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Atomic Number = Protons in an Atom

Atomic number = number of protons—for example,

• the atomic number of H is 1; every H atom has one proton.
• the atomic number of C is 6; every C atom has six protons.
• the atomic number of Cu is 29; every Cu atom has 29 protons.

Core Chemistry Skill Counting Protons and Neutrons

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Atomic Number = Protons in an Atom

All atoms of lithium (left) contain three protons, and all atoms of carbon (right) contain six protons.

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Atoms are Neutral

For neutral atoms, the net charge is zero.

number of protons = number of electrons

Aluminum has 13 protons and 13 electrons. The net (overall)

charge is zero.

13 protons (13+) + 13 electrons (13–) = 0

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Study Check

Use the periodic table to fill in the atomic number, number of

protons, and number of electrons for each of the following
elements:

Element Atomic Protons Electrons

Number
N

Zn

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Solution

Use the periodic table to fill in the atomic number, number of

protons, and number of electrons for each of the following
elements:

Element Atomic Protons Electrons

Number
N 7 7 7

Zn 30 30 30

S 16 16 16

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Mass Number

The mass number

• represents the number of particles in the nucleus.
• is equal to the number of protons + the number of neutrons.
• is always a whole number.
• does not appear in the periodic table.

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Composition of Some Atoms of Different
Elements

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Study Tips: Protons and Neutrons

Number of protons = atomic number

Number of protons + neutrons = mass number

Number of neutrons = mass number – atomic number

Note: Mass numbers are given for specific isotopes only.

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Study Check

An atom of lead (Pb) has a mass number of 207.

A. How many protons are in the nucleus?

B. How many neutrons are in the nucleus?
C. How many electrons are in the atom?

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake
 Solution

An atom of lead (Pb) has a mass number of 207.

A. How many protons are in the nucleus?

atomic number = 82; number protons = 82
B. How many neutrons are in the nucleus?
mass number – number protons = number neutrons
207 – 82 = 125 neutrons
C. How many electrons are in the atom?
An atom is neutral, which means that the number of
electrons is equal to the number of protons. An atom of
Pb has 82 protons and 82 electrons.

General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry: Structures of Life, 5/e © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Karen C. Timberlake