To determine which statement is false, let’s analyze each statement:
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The atomic number of this atom is 18.
- The atomic number of an atom represents the number of protons in its nucleus. An atomic number of 18 corresponds to Argon (Ar), not chlorine.
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This is a chlorine atom.
- Chlorine has an atomic number of 17. Therefore, if the atomic number is 18, this statement is false because the atom cannot be chlorine if it has an atomic number of 18.
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The mass of the atom is 35 AMU.
- Chlorine typically has isotopes with atomic masses of approximately 35 and 37 AMU. If this atom is indeed chlorine (with atomic number 17), it could reasonably have a mass of around 35 AMU. However, if the atomic number is 18, we usually refer to Argon whose atomic mass is around 40 AMU.
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The atom has an overall charge of 0.
- Generally, neutral atoms have no charge. Since we don’t have additional information about the ionization state, we can assume if the atom has the correct number of protons and electrons, it would have a charge of 0.
Based on this analysis, the false statement is:
This is a chlorine atom.
Because the atomic number given (18) corresponds to Argon, not chlorine.