Question

À certain atom of Nickel has an atomic number of 28 and contains 31 neutrons. How does this atom differ from an atom of nickel-642

A. Ni-64 contains a total of 64 protons, neutrons, and electrons
B. Ni-64 has two more protons and electrons and three more neutrons
C. Ni-64 has five more neutrons
D. There is no difference between the two atoms because both atoms are the same element

Answer 1

A Nickel atom with an atomic number of 28 and 31 neutrons has a mass number of 59. Nickel-64, on the other hand, has a mass number of 64, which means it has five more neutrons than the Nickel atom described in the student's question.

Step-by-step explanation:

The atom of Nickel with an atomic number of 28 and 31 neutrons is a specific isotope of Nickel, with a mass number of 59 (atomic number + number of neutrons = 28 + 31 = 59). This differs from a Nickel-64 atom, which has a mass number of 64 (the sum of its protons and neutrons).

Given that the atomic number of Nickel is 28 (which also indicates the number of protons), Nickel-64 should have the same number of protons (28) but with more neutrons. The number of neutrons in Nickel-64 would be the mass number minus the atomic number, which is 64 - 28 = 36 neutrons. Nickel-64 would therefore have five more neutrons than the Nickel atom with 31 neutrons described in the question.

The correct answer is thus: C. Ni-64 has five more neutrons