Final answer:
The correct description for two different atoms with six protons each and the same mass, with one being negatively charged and the other positively charged, is that they are ions of the same element—carbon. The negative ion (anion) will have more electrons than protons, while the positive ion (cation) will have fewer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks about two different atoms that both have six protons and the same mass, but one has a negative charge while the other has a positive charge. An atom with six protons is a carbon atom. A neutral carbon atom contains six electrons. However, when there is an imbalance in the number of protons and electrons, the atom becomes an ion. If an atom with six protons has more than six electrons, it is negatively charged, and if it has fewer than six electrons, it is positively charged.
Considering the details provided:
A) Incorrect. Oxygen atoms have eight protons and carbon typically has six electrons in a neutral state, but carbon cannot have a positive charge with six electrons. Oxygen and carbon are different elements due to their differing number of protons.
B) Incorrect. An electron is not an atom but a subatomic particle, and a proton by itself does not constitute a full atom.
C) Incorrect. Nitrogen atoms have seven protons and boron atoms have five protons; thus they are not the atom described.
D) Correct. The negatively charged atom could be a carbon atom that has gained two electrons (an anion), making it a carbon ion with eight electrons. The positively charged atom could be another carbon atom that has lost an electron (a cation), making it a carbon ion with five electrons. These ions could have the same mass if they have the same number of neutrons.