Question

A nitrogen ion has a mass of 14 and a charge of +2. Which subatomic particles does it
contain? (1 point)
4 protons, 4 neutrons, and 6 electrons
2 protons, 6 neutrons, and 6 electrons
7 protons, 7 neutrons, and 9 electrons
7 protons, 7 neutrons, and 5 electrons

Answer 1

To determine the composition of the nitrogen ion with a mass of 14 and a charge of +2, we need to analyze what we know about nitrogen isotopes and ions.

1. **Nitrogen's atomic number**: Nitrogen has an atomic number of 7, which means it has 7 protons.
2. **Mass number**: The ion has a mass of 14, which indicates that the total number of protons and neutrons is 14. Since there are 7 protons, we can find the number of neutrons:
\[
\text{Number of neutrons} = \text{Mass number} - \text{Number of protons} = 14 - 7 = 7 \text{ neutrons}
\]
3. **Ion charge**: A charge of +2 indicates that the ion has lost 2 electrons. Normally, a neutral nitrogen atom would have 7 electrons (equal to the number of protons). Therefore, the nitrogen ion will have:
\[
\text{Number of electrons} = 7 - 2 = 5 \text{ electrons}
\]

Putting this all together, the nitrogen ion (+2 charge) contains:
- 7 protons
- 7 neutrons
- 5 electrons

Thus, the correct answer is:
**7 protons, 7 neutrons, and 5 electrons.**