Home > Chemistry > Basic Atomic Structure

What are the numbers of the subatomic particles in Au?

Answer 1

Got a Periodic Table? Mine says that for elemental gold, #Z=79#.

#Z# refers to the number of positively charged nuclear particles. The number defines the identity of the element. If there are 79 positively charged nuclear particles, there MUST be 79 electrons whizzing around nucleus in the neutral atom.

The typical gold nucleus is the #""^197Au# isotope. As well as the #79# protons, there must be #197-79=118" neutrons"#, which are massive nuclear particles of ZERO electonic charge.

And thus for the #""^197Au# isotope, there are necessarily 79 protons, 118 neutrons, and 79 electrons.

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

Answer 2

Axel Alvarado

The following subatomic particle counts apply to gold (Au): - Protons: 79 - Neutrons: Depending on the gold isotope (Au-197 has 118 neutrons, Au-198 has 119 neutrons, and Au-199 has 120 neutrons, for example) - Electrons: 79

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.