How many electrons, protons and neutrons are contained in an atom?
Atoms in their natural state have no charge, that is they are neutral. Therefore, in a neutral atom the number of protons and electrons are the same. If this condition is violated the atom has a net charge and is called an ion. The number of protons in the nucleus determines the identity of the atom. For example all carbon atoms contain six protons, all gold atoms contain 79 protons, all lead atoms contain 82 protons. Two atoms with the same number of protons, but different numbers of neutrons are called isotopes. How does the structure of the atom relate to its properties? Chemical reactions involve either the transfer or the sharing of electrons between atoms. Therefore, the chemical reactivity/ properties of an element is primarily dependent upon the number of electrons in an atom of that element. Protons also play a significant role because the tendency for an atom to either lose, gain or share electrons is dependent upon the charge of the nucleus. Therefore, we can say that the ch
