461,742 views
33 votes
33 votes
Explain why when an ion is formed, the mass of the atom does not change.

User Nasmi Sabeer
by
2.2k points

1 Answer

12 votes
12 votes

Answer:

Atoms are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. The mass of an atom is determined by the total number of neutrons and protons in the nucleus. The difference between an atom and an ion is the number of electrons. The change of electrons does not change the mass because electrons have a negligible mass. In other words, the mass of electrons is so small, it is considered insignificant.

User Eli Harold
by
3.8k points