Final answer:
Aluminum has 13 protons, 13 electrons in a neutral atom, and typically 14 neutrons in its most common isotope. When forming the Al³⁺ cation, it has 10 electrons.
Step-by-step explanation:
The element aluminum (Al) contains 13 protons (p), as this is its atomic number and remains unchanged even when an aluminum atom forms an ion. The number of electrons (e) in a neutral aluminum atom is also 13. However, when aluminum forms a cation, specifically Al³⁺, it loses three electrons, resulting in 10 electrons.
As for the number of neutrons (N), it varies depending on the isotope of aluminum. The most common isotope of aluminum has an atomic mass of 27. Since the atomic mass is the sum of protons and neutrons, and the number of protons is 13, by subtracting 13 from the atomic mass, we get the number of neutrons as 14 (27 - 13 = 14).