How can I use an elements atomic number & atomic weight to learn more about its structure?
Some of the information you can derive from atomic weight & number number are the atom’s number of protons, number of electrons, its tendency for to react with other elements, and the number of neutrons the atom has. The atomic number of an element tells you how many protons it has and, therefore, how many electrons it has when it has not already been involved in a chemical reaction. For example, the atomic number of hydrogen is 1, which tells you it has 1 proton & 1 electron in the uncombined form. Sodium has the atomic number 11: it has 11 protons & also 11 electrons when uncombined with another atom. Since the atomic mass equals the sum of an atom’s protons plus its neutrons, you can determine how many neutrons a particular atom has by subtracting its atomic number from its atomic weight. For example, sodium has an atomic number of 11 and an atomic weight of 23. 23 (atomic weight, which is protons + neutrons) -11 (atomic number, the number of protons) 12 neutrons You can use an atom
