75.4k views
4 votes
Which two particles make up most of the mass of a carbon-14 atom?

1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

Carbon-14 is made up mostly of protons and neutrons, with six protons and eight neutrons. Carbon-12 contains six neutrons, and carbon-13 contains seven neutrons, based on their mass numbers of 12 and 13, minus the atomic number of carbon, which is six.

Step-by-step explanation:

Most of the mass of a carbon-14 atom is made up by two types of particles: protons and neutrons. The mass number represents the sum of these particles within the atom's nucleus. For carbon-14, the mass number is 14, which comprises six protons and eight neutrons, as the atomic number of carbon is always six. The other two stable isotopes of carbon are carbon-12 and carbon-13.

Given the mass number and atomic number for carbon-13 being 13 and 6, respectively, there are seven neutrons in a carbon-13 atom (mass number minus atomic number). Correspondingly, for carbon-12, which has a mass number of 12 and an atomic number of 6, there are six neutrons.

Options c and a from the reference information correctly state the atomic numbers for carbon-12 and carbon-13, as well as providing the correct number of neutrons for each. Therefore, carbon-12 has six neutrons, and carbon-13 has seven neutrons.

User SergioLeone
by
8.2k points

No related questions found

Welcome to QAmmunity.org, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of our community.

9.4m questions

12.2m answers

Categories