An atom has 10 electrons, 12 neutrons, and no net charge. What element is this atom, and what is its atomic number of mass?
We know that an element is represented as Z A X . Where Z is its atomic number which can be determined by the number of electrons the element has. And A is the atomic mass which can be determined by adding the number of protons and neutrons in the element's nucleus. ∴ For the given element, Z = 10 and A = 10 + 12 = 22 As the atomic number is 10, the element should be Neon but the mass number of Neon is 20. Thus the given element should be an isotope of Neon with 12 neutrons.
