The atomic symbol "6C12" represents the carbon isotope Carbon-12.
The number 6 represents the atomic number of carbon, which is the number of protons in the nucleus. Therefore, there are 6 protons in the Carbon-12 isotope.
The mass number of Carbon-12 is 12, which represents the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. Since the atomic number is 6 (number of protons), the number of neutrons can be calculated as the difference between the mass number and atomic number: 12 - 6 = 6 neutrons.
In a neutral atom, the number of protons is equal to the number of electrons. Therefore, since Carbon-12 has 6 protons, it also has 6 electrons.
Calculate the number of electrons, protons, and neutrons of 6C12
1 answer