Atoms, Compounds and Isotopes

Question 1

What do atoms contain?

Answer 1

Protons, neutrons and electrons.

Question 2

What is an atomic number and where do you find it?

Answer 2

The atomic number tells you how many protons there are and it is found in the bottom left-hand corner, atoms of the same element have the same number of protons (atomic number).

Question 3

What is the mass number and where do you find it?

Answer 3

Number of protons + number of neutrons, it is in the top left-hand corner, electrons are not counted as their relative mass is very small.

Question 4

How do you work out the number of neutrons in an atom?

Answer 4

Mass number - number of protons.

Question 5

What is the definition of a compound?

Answer 5

When atoms of two or more elements are chemically bonded together. It is formed by a chemical reaction. It is difficult to separate the two original elements out again..

Question 6

What is an isotope?

Answer 6

Different atomic forms of the same element, which have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons, i.e. same atomic number, different mass number.