How is the atomic number used to distinguish between elements?

Question

Wyatt Adkins · Accepted Answer

The behaviour of an atom - the type of element it is - is determined by the electronic structure, which is in turn determined by the atomic number.

Normal matter is arranged in arrangements of protons, neutrons, and electrons that are referred to as atoms. The atomic number indicates the number of protons in an atom and determines the type of atom, or element, that exists. All of these various atom types can be categorized using the periodic table, which lists them in order of atomic number. An atom's behavior is dictated by its electronic structure, which is based on its atomic number. We use the number of protons because it is the most stable property; an element can change by gaining or losing a few electrons, which changes its charge, but the element remains unchanged and is referred to as an ion. There is a "normal" number of neutrons that is approximately two times the number of protons; this number varies slightly for elements of the same type, especially for elements with a large number of protons.

Cameron Andrews · Answer

undefined Since every element has a different atomic number, the atomic number is a measure of how many protons are in the nucleus of an atom and is used to identify different elements.