Question

Both protons and neutrons are located inside the nucleus of an atom. Changing the number of neutrons in the nucleus would form different isotopes of the same element. Which of these BEST describes the outcome of decreasing the number of protons in the nucleus?

A) The element would become an ion.
B) The atom would become a different element.
C) The number of neutrons would also decrease.
D) The atomic mass of the element would increase.

Answer 1

A

Explanation: Decreasing the protons makes the atom negatively charged as there is less protons and more electrons therefore it's an ion now.

Answer 2

B) The atom would become a different element.

Step-by-step explanation:

As we know, the proton is a subatomic particle characterized as the particle that has a positive charge.

An atom can gain, lose or share electrons to achieve electronic stability. However, this does not happen with the proton. If the number of protons in a element decreases, that element begins to have a different atomic number, which indicates that another element has been formed.