Chlorine is the atomic number 17 in the periodic table of elements. What information does the atomic number give you about the element chlorine?

Question

Responses
A An atom of chlorine has 17
and
combined.An atom of chlorine has 17 protons + and neutrons - combined.
B An atom of chlorine has 17
.An atom of chlorine has 17 protons + .
C An atom of chlorine has 17
and 17
.An atom of chlorine has 17 protons + and 17 neutrons + .
D Chlorine atoms have 17 of each of the three subatomic particles, protons, neutrons, and electrons.Chlorine atoms have 17 of each of the three subatomic particles, protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Question 2
PART B
Consider the information you have about the element chlorine in Part A. Based on that knowledge, which of these statements is NOT true concerning the atomic structure of aluminum?
Responses
A Aluminum has 13 neutrons.Aluminum has 13 neutrons.
B Aluminum has an atomic number of 13Aluminum has an atomic number of 13
C Aluminum has 13 protons+
in the nucleus.Aluminum has 13 protons + in the nucleus.
D The number of protons equals the number of electrons.The number of protons equals the number of electrons.

Answer 1

Question 1: Information Provided by the Atomic Number for Chlorine

The atomic number refers to the number of protons in an atom of an element. For chlorine, with an atomic number of 17, it indicates that:

• An atom of chlorine has 17 protons.

Now, let's evaluate the provided options:

• A: An atom of chlorine has 17 and neutrons combined. (Incorrect: This doesn't correctly state that the atomic number refers specifically to protons.)
• B: An atom of chlorine has 17 protons. (Correct: This accurately states that chlorine has 17 protons.)
• C: An atom of chlorine has 17 and 17 neutrons. (Incorrect: The number of neutrons is not equal to the atomic number.)
• D: Chlorine atoms have 17 of each of the three subatomic particles, protons, neutrons, and electrons. (Incorrect: While there are 17 protons and 17 electrons in a neutral chlorine atom, the number of neutrons is not specified to be 17 and is generally 18 for the most common isotope.)

Therefore, the correct answer is B: An atom of chlorine has 17 protons.

Question 2: Statements Concerning the Atomic Structure of Aluminum

Aluminum has an atomic number of 13, which means it has 13 protons. To deduce the number of neutrons and electrons:

1. Number of Protons: Aluminum has 13 protons.
2. Atomic Number: Aluminum's atomic number is 13.
3. Electrons: In a neutral atom, the number of electrons equals the number of protons, so there are 13 electrons.

Now, let’s review each statement regarding aluminum to find the one that is NOT true:

• A: Aluminum has 13 neutrons. (This statement is NOT true because the most common isotope of aluminum has 14 neutrons.)
• B: Aluminum has an atomic number of 13. (True: This is correct.)
• C: Aluminum has 13 protons in the nucleus. (True: This is correct.)
• D: The number of protons equals the number of electrons. (True: This is correct for a neutral atom.)

Therefore, the correct answer is A: Aluminum has 13 neutrons.