Question

So im reading a chemistry book right now, and always thought an element is made out of ONE atom, with special properties that make it this element. Amount of Protons, neutrons and electrons.

But this book now says, most natural elements are made out of mixes of many isotopes; etc.etc. ... So, an Isotope is an atom with more or less neutrons than normal, right?

SO, to my main question, are element made out of many atoms then? What about lets say, iridium. How many atoms does it know have?

Answer 1

Elements consist of a vast number of atoms, which can include a mix of different isotopes. Isotopes have the same number of protons and electrons but differ in their number of neutrons. Elements like iridium have multiple isotopes with varying mass numbers due to different neutron counts.

Step-by-step explanation:

An isotope is indeed an atom that has a different number of neutrons than protons in its nucleus, giving it a different mass number compared to other atoms of the same element. To clarify, elements are not made out of a single atom but are comprised of huge numbers of atoms.

These atoms can have different numbers of neutrons thus creating isotopes. For example, iridium, like other elements, exists as a collection of isotopes, each with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons and therefore different mass numbers.

Natural elements are often composed of a mix of these isotopes. In general, isotopes of an element behave similarly in terms of their chemical properties because they have the same number of protons and electrons.

Elements such as hydrogen have isotopes that are present in varying abundances, such as the common hydrogen isotope with one proton, deuterium with one neutron, and tritium with two neutrons. Likewise, iridium has various isotopes with varying neutron counts and thus different mass numbers.