How to find the Protons, Neutrons and Electrons for Chlorine?

How to find the Protons, Neutrons and Electrons for Chlorine?

Chlorine is a classified halogen element and its symbol is Cl. Chlorine is the 17th element of the periodic table so its atomic number is 17. The atomic number of an element is equal to the number of protons and electrons in that element.

Therefore, a chlorine atom has seventeen protons and seventeen electrons. The number of neutrons in an atom can be determined by the difference between the atomic mass and the number of protons.

The difference between the mass number of the chlorine atom and the number of protons is eighteen. Therefore, a chlorine atom has eighteen neutrons. The number of neutrons depends on the isotope of the element. The chlorine atom has two stable isotopes.

Element Name	Chlorine
Symbol	Cl
Atomic number	17
Atomic weight (average)	35.45
Protons	17
Neutrons	18
Electrons	17
Group	17
Period	3
Block	p-block
Electrons per shell	2, 8, 7
Electron configuration	[Ne] 3s2 3p5
Oxidation states	+7, +5, +1, -1

This article discussed in detail how to easily find the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in a chlorine atom.

Also discussed is the position of electrons, protons, and neutrons in an atom, the number of atomic masses, and the isotopes of chlorine. Hopefully, after reading this article you will know the details about this topic.

Where are the electrons, protons and neutrons located in an atom?

An atom is the smallest particle of an element that has no independent existence but is directly involved in chemical reactions as the smallest unit. Atoms are so small particles that they cannot be seen even under a powerful microscope.

The diameter of an atom of hydrogen is 0.1nm (1.0nm = 10-9m). So, if 1000 crore atoms of hydrogen are arranged side by side, it will be 1 meter long.

However, it has been possible to detect atoms by increasing the vision of a very powerful electron microscope by two million times. Numerous permanent and temporary particles exist in the atom.

Electrons, protons, and neutrons are located in the atom as permanent particles. Also, neutrino, antineutrino, positron, and mason are located in an atom as temporary particles.

Atoms can usually be divided into two parts. One is the nucleus and the other is the orbit. Experiments by various scientists have shown that the nucleus of an atom contains protons and neutrons.

The only exception is hydrogen, which has only protons in its nucleus but no neutrons. Electrons revolve around the nucleus in a specific orbit.

How to easily find the number of electrons, protons and neutrons in a chlorine atom?

Scientist Henry Gwynn Jefferies Mosle examined the X-ray spectrum of various elements in 1913-to 1914. The results of his experiments show that each element has a unique integer equal to the number of positive charges in the nucleus of that element.

He called that number the order of the atoms. Thus, the number of positive charges present in the nucleus of an element is called the atomic number of that element. The atomic number of the element is expressed by ‘Z’.

This number is equal to the serial number of the periodic table. We know that protons are located in the nucleus of an atom as a positive charge.

That is, the atomic number is the total number of protons. The atom is overall charge neutral. Therefore, the number of negatively charged electrons orbiting in its orbit is equal to the number of positively charged protons in the nucleus.

Atomic number (Z) = Number of charges in the nucleus (p)

How many protons does a chlorine atom have?

Protons are the permanent core particles of an atom. It resides in the center or nucleus of the atom. When a hydrogen atom removes an electron from its orbit, the positively charged particle that remains is called proton. Hence, the proton is expressed by H+.

The relative mass of protons is 1, which is approximately equal to the mass of hydrogen (1.00757 amu). However, the actual mass of the proton is 1.6726 × 10−27 kg. That is, the mass of a proton is approximately 1837 times greater than the mass of an electron.

Proton is a positively charged particle. Its actual charge is +1.602 × 10−19 coulombs. The diameter of a proton particle is about 2.4 × 10−13 cm.

There are 118 elements in the periodic table and the 17th of these elements is chlorine. The elements in the periodic table are arranged according to their atomic number. Since chlorine is the 17th element of the periodic table, the atomic number of chlorine is 17.

We must always remember that the atomic number and the number of protons of an element are equal. Therefore, a chlorine atom contains seventeen protons.

How many electrons does a chlorine atom have?

Electrons are the permanent core particles of an atom. It resides in a specific orbit of the atom and revolves around the nucleus. The properties of the elements and their compounds depend on the electron configuration.

In 1897, scientist J. J. Thomson discovered the existence of electrons through cathode ray examination. The smallest of the permanent core particles of an atom is the electron. Its mass is about 1/1836 of the mass of a hydrogen atom.

The actual mass of the electron is 9.1085 × 10−28 g or 9.1093 × 10−31 kg. The mass of the electron is often ignored because this mass is too small. Electrons always provide a negative charge.

It is expressed by e–. The charge of electrons is –1.609 × 10–19 coulombs and the relative charge is –1. That is, the charge of an electron is equal to that of a proton but the opposite.

We must also remember that the number of protons and electrons in an element is equal. Therefore, a chlorine atom contains seventeen electrons in its orbit.

How many neutrons does a chlorine atom have?

Scientist Chadwick discovered neutrons in 1932. It is located in the nucleus at the center of the atom. The neutron is a charge-neutral particle and it is expressed by n.

The charge of a neutron is zero and the relative charge is also zero. The mass of the neutron is 1.674 × 10−27 kg. The number of electrons and protons in an atom is the same but the number of neutrons is different.

We already know that the nucleus is at the center of the atom. There are two types of particles in the nucleus. One is a positively charged particle proton and the other is a charge-neutral particle neutron.

Almost all the mass of the atom is accumulated in the nucleus. Therefore, the mass of the nucleus is called atomic mass. The nucleus is made up of protons and neutrons. Therefore, atomic mass refers to the total mass of protons and neutrons.

Atomic mass (A) = Nucleus mass = Total mass of protons and neutrons (p + n)

Again, the mass of each proton and neutron is about 1amu. Therefore, the total number of protons and neutrons is called the atomic mass number. That is, the number of atomic mass(A) is = p + n

Thus, the number of neutrons in an element is obtained from the difference between the number of atomic masses and the number of atoms. That is, neutron number (n) = atomic mass number (A) – atomic number (Z)

Mass number (A)	Atomic number (Z)	Neutron number = A – Z
35.45	17	18

We know that the atomic number of chlorine is 17 and the atomic mass number is about 35. Neutron = 35 – 17 = 18. Therefore, a chlorine atom has eighteen neutrons.

Based on the atomic number, mass number, and neutron number of the element, three things can be considered. These are isotope, isobar, and isotone. The number of neutrons depends on the isotope of the atom.

How to determine the number of neutrons through isotopes of chlorine?

Atoms that have the same number of protons but different mass numbers are called isotopes of each other. The English chemist Frederick Sodi first came up with the idea of isotopes in 1912, and the scientist Aston in 1919 identified two different mass neon atoms (20Ne, 22Ne).

He named the atoms with different masses of the same element as isotopes of that element. The number of protons in an isotope atom does not change but the number of neutrons does.

The chlorine atom has about twenty-five isotopes. Such as 28Cl, 29Cl, 30Cl, 31Cl, 32Cl, 33Cl, 34Cl, 35Cl, 36Cl, 37Cl, 38Cl, 39Cl, 40Cl, 41Cl, 42Cl, 43Cl, 44Cl, 45Cl, 46Cl, 47Cl, 48Cl, 49Cl, 50Cl, 51Cl and 52Cl.

Isotope	Mass number (A)	Atomic number (Z)	Neutron number = A – Z
28Cl	28.02954	17	11
29Cl	29.01413	17	12
30Cl	30.00477	17	13
31Cl	30.992448	17	14
32Cl	31.9856846	17	15
33Cl	32.9774520	17	16
34Cl	33.97376249	17	17
35Cl	34.96885269	17	18
36Cl	35.96830682	17	19
37Cl	36.96590258	17	20
38Cl	37.96801042	17	21
39Cl	38.9680082	17	22
40Cl	39.97042	17	23
41Cl	40.97068	17	24
42Cl	41.97334	17	25
43Cl	42.97406	17	26
44Cl	43.97812	17	27
45Cl	44.98039	17	28
46Cl	45.98512	17	29
47Cl	46.98950	17	30
48Cl	47.99541	17	31
49Cl	49.00101	17	32
50Cl	50.00831	17	33
51Cl	51.01534	17	34
52Cl	52	17	35

Among the isotopes, 35Cl, and 37Cl are stable and formed naturally. The remaining isotopes of chlorine are highly unstable and their half-lives are very short.

Of the 25 radioisotopes of chlorine, the longest-lived radioisotope is 36Cl, with a half-life of 301,000 years and the shortest-lived are 29Cl and 30Cl, with half-lives less than 10 picoseconds and 30 nanoseconds.

All others are under a minute, most under a second. The mass of stable 35Cl is about 35 (34.968852), and 37Cl is about 37 (36.965902).

How many protons, neutrons and electrons does chloride ion(Cl–) have?

When an atom carries a negative or positive charge by accepting or rejecting electrons, it is called an ion. The ionic properties of the elements depend on the exchange of electrons.

In an atomic ion only the number of electrons changes but the number of protons and neutrons does not change. Chlorine has seven electrons in its last orbit. In this case, the chlorine atom can receive electrons in its last shell.

During the formation of a bond, the last shell of chlorine receives an electron and turns into a chloride ion(Cl–). In this case, the chlorine atom carries a negative charge.

Cl + e– → Cl–

Here, the electron configuration of chloride ion(Cl–) is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6. This negative chloride ion(Cl–) has seventeen protons, eighteen neutrons, and eighteen electrons.

Chlorine ion	Protons	Neutrons	Electrons
Cl–	17	18	18

What are the properties of protons neutrons and electrons?

Name	Symbol	Relative Mass (amu)	Relative Charge	Actual Mass(kg)	Actual Charge(C)	Location
Proton	p	1.00757	+1	1.672×10−27	1.602×10−19	Inside the nucleus
Neutron	n	1.0089	0	1.674×10−27	0	Inside the nucleus
Electron	e–	5.488×10−4	–1	9.109×10−31	–1.6×10–19	Outside the nucleus

Why is it important for us to know the number of electrons and protons?

An atomic number is a number that carries the properties of an element. The number of electrons and protons in an element is determined by the atomic number. Also, the exact position of an element is determined in the periodic table.

The properties of an element can be determined by electron configuration. Also, the valency, valence electrons, and ionic properties of the elements are determined by the electron configuration.

To determine the properties of an element, it is necessary to arrange the electrons of that element. And to arrange the electrons, you must know the number of electrons in that element.

To know the number of electrons, you need to know the atomic number of that element. We know that an equal number of protons of atomic number are located in the nucleus of the element and electrons equal to protons are in orbit outside the nucleus.

Atomic number (Z) = Number of electrons

We already know that the atomic number of chlorine is 17. That is, there are seventeen electrons in the atom of the chlorine element. So, it is possible to determine the properties of chlorine from the electron configuration.

Now, the electron configuration of chlorine shows that the last orbit has seven electrons. Therefore, the valence electrons of chlorine are seven. The last shell of chlorine has an unpaired electron, so the valency of chlorine is 1.

The last electron of chlorine enters the p-orbital. Therefore, it’s a p-block element. To know these properties of chlorine one must know the number of electrons and protons of chlorine.

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