Question

A neutral atom of sodium has 11 protons. Use this infomation to explain the

total number of electrons that are in a sodium atom

Answer 1

There would be
`11` electrons in each sodium atom.

Step-by-step explanation:

Atoms are neutral. In other words, the positive and negative electrical charges in each atom are balanced.

Each atom contains:

• A number of protons, each with an electrical charge of
  `(+1)` (a positive charge of magnitude
  `1\; {\rm e}`,)
• A number of neutrons, which do not carry any electrical charge, and
• A number of electrons, each with an electrical charge of
  `(-1)` (a negative charge of magnitude
  `1\; {\rm e}`.)

For the positive and negative electrical charges in an atom to balance each other, the number of protons and electrons in that atom should be equal.

For example, the
`11` protons in the sodium atom in this question would have contributed an electrical charge of
`(+11)\; {\rm e}` to the atom. Balancing that charge would require an additional electrical charge of
`(-11)\; {\rm e}`, which corresponds to exactly
`11\!` electrons.