12 protons 10 electrons.. what atom or ion is this?

Question

anonymous · Answer

This is what i`m tryng to figure out

koikkara · Answer

According to my knowledge......The atom manganese has an atomic number of 12, which means that it has 12 protons. It can have a charge of 2+, which means the atom has 2 more protons than electons, which is 10 electrons.

anonymous · Answer

That`s what i was thinking because i added the 12 and the 10 and it cant be Titanium

matt101 · Answer

Exactly right. Some things to keep in mind:

- the number of protons determines the ELEMENT as each element has a different number of protons and this is what defines them
- the number of neutrons determines the ISOTOPE of that element. Different atoms may have the same number of protons, making them the same element, but different numbers of neutrons, which may alter the properties of the element (e.g. compare hydrogen and deuterium)
- the number of electrons, in relation to the number of protons, determines whether an ION is formed and its charge. In the ground state, there are exactly the same number f electrons and protons so the positive and negative charges are balanced and the atom is neutral. If there is more protons than electrons, a positive ion (cation) forms, but if there are more electrons than protons, a negative ion (anion) forms.

In your example, magnesium is the ELEMENT with the atomic number 12, indicating it has 12 protons. However, it only has 10 electrons - there are two more positive charges than negative charges, so you form a cation with a charge of +2. (Isotopes aren't involved in your questions but thought I'd mention them anyways)

anonymous · Answer

Thanks, how would i be able to find the number of electrons lost or gained like it shows in the chart?

matt101 · Answer

You start with the ground state (the neutral state) in which you have the same number of electrons as protons. In the case of magnesium, the neutral atom would have 12 protons and 12 electrons. However, we know it's an ion that has a charge of +2 and only 10 electrons. Therefore, it has lost 2 electrons from its ground state.

koikkara · Answer

exactly....well done Matt...!!