How many protons and neutrons are in an atom of B-13?
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer:
An atom of Boron-13 (B-13) has 5 protons and 8 neutrons.
Explanation:
To determine the number of protons and neutrons in an atom, two key pieces of information are used: the atomic number and the mass number.
The atomic number of an element tells how many protons are in the nucleus of each atom of that element. Boron has an atomic number of 5, which means every atom of boron contains 5 protons. This number is constant for all boron atoms, no matter which isotope is being considered.
The mass number is the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. In this case, the isotope is Boron-13, where 13 represents the mass number. To find the number of neutrons, subtract the number of protons from the mass number: Neutrons=Mass Number−Protons=13−5=8\text{Neutrons} = \text{Mass Number} – \text{Protons} = 13 – 5 = 8
So, B-13 has 5 protons and 8 neutrons.
Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons are called isotopes. They share the same chemical properties because they have the same number of protons and electrons, but they may differ in nuclear stability. Boron typically has two naturally occurring isotopes, B-10 and B-11. B-13 is a radioactive isotope and is not stable. It is created artificially and decays quickly.
Understanding isotopes is important in many fields, including nuclear medicine, radiocarbon dating, and atomic physics. While the number of protons determines the element, the number of neutrons influences the stability of the nucleus. Neutron-to-proton ratio plays a major role in whether an isotope is stable or radioactive. In B-13, the 8 neutrons to 5 protons ratio makes it unstable.