What Element Has 6 Protons, 7 Neutrons, and 6 Electrons?
The element with 6 protons, 7 neutrons, and 6 electrons is Carbon-13 (¹³C).
Let's break down why:
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Protons: The number of protons defines the element. An atom with 6 protons is always carbon (C). This is its atomic number.
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Neutrons: The number of neutrons determines the isotope. While most carbon atoms have 6 neutrons (Carbon-12, ¹²C), Carbon-13 has 7 neutrons. Isotopes are variants of an element with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.
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Electrons: In a neutral atom, the number of electrons equals the number of protons. Since there are 6 protons, there are also 6 electrons.
Therefore, an atom with 6 protons, 7 neutrons, and 6 electrons is specifically Carbon-13, a stable, naturally occurring isotope of carbon. Carbon-12 is far more abundant, making up about 99% of all carbon on Earth, but Carbon-13 plays a role in various scientific applications, such as carbon dating and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
What is an isotope?
Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons. This means they have the same atomic number but a different mass number (protons + neutrons). While they behave chemically similarly, their physical properties can differ slightly.
How are isotopes identified?
Isotopes are identified using the element symbol followed by its mass number as a superscript. For example, Carbon-13 is written as ¹³C, where 13 is the mass number (6 protons + 7 neutrons).
What are the different isotopes of Carbon?
Carbon has several isotopes, the most common being:
- Carbon-12 (¹²C): 6 protons, 6 neutrons, very stable and the most abundant.
- Carbon-13 (¹³C): 6 protons, 7 neutrons, also stable and less abundant.
- Carbon-14 (¹⁴C): 6 protons, 8 neutrons, radioactive and used in radiocarbon dating.
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