Home > Chemistry > Basic Atomic Structure

How many neutrons does a standard hydrogen atom have in its nucleus?

Answer 1

Nada!

The protium isotope, #""^1H#, has only the #1# massive, positively charged particle in its nucleus. Protium has an isotopic abundance of over #99%#. A smaller percentage of hydrogen nuclei have 1 neutron in the nucleus to give #"deuterium"#, #""^2H#. An even smaller percentage is expressed by the #"tritium"# isotope, #""^3H#.

So called deuterium and tritium labels can be introduced into organic compounds relatively easily, the which allows specific and sensitive probes of structure and reactivity.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer 2

Xavier Avery

Neutrons are absent from the nucleus of a typical hydrogen atom.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.