QQuestionChemistry
QuestionChemistry
"A nickel atom has an atomic number of 28 and an atomic mass of 59. What is the structure of this atom?
A. It has a central nucleus composed of 28 protons and 31 neutrons, surrounded by an electron cloud containing 28 electrons.
B. It has a central nucleus composed of 28 protons and 28 neutrons, surrounded by an electron cloud containing 31 electrons.
C. It has a central nucleus composed of 31 protons and 28 neutrons, surrounded by an electron cloud containing 28 electrons.
D. It has a central nucleus composed of 28 protons and 59 neutrons, surrounded by an electron cloud containing 28 electrons."
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Answer
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Step 1: Identify the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in a nickel atom.
The atomic number of nickel is 28, which means there are 28 protons in the nucleus. The atomic mass is given as 59 u (unified atomic mass units), which includes the sum of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. However, we are not given the number of neutrons directly. We can approximate the number of neutrons by subtracting the atomic number from the atomic mass: Number of neutrons ≈ Atomic mass - Atomic number Number of neutrons ≈ 59 u - 28 Number of neutrons ≈ 31 The atomic mass is not exactly a whole number, so the actual number of neutrons may be slightly different. But for this problem, we will use 31 as an approximation. Since the atom is neutral, the number of electrons must be equal to the number of protons, which is 28.
Step 2: Determine the structure of the atom based on the identified components.
The structure of the atom is described by its nucleus (containing protons and neutrons) and the surrounding electron cloud containing electrons. Based on our calculations, the nickel atom has: - A central nucleus composed of 28 protons and 31 neutrons. - An electron cloud containing 28 electrons.
Final Answer
A. It has a central nucleus composed of 28 protons and 31 neutrons, surrounded by an electron cloud containing 28 electrons.
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