Questions: An atom of the isotope chlorine-37 consists of how many protons, neutrons, and electrons? (p= proton, n= neutron, e= electron) 18 p, 37 n, 18 e 17 p, 20 n, 17 e 17 p, 20 n, 18 e 37 p, 37 n, 17 e 37 p, 20 n, 37 e

An atom of the isotope chlorine-37 consists of how many protons, neutrons, and electrons? (p= proton, n= neutron, e= electron)
18 p, 37 n, 18 e
17 p, 20 n, 17 e
17 p, 20 n, 18 e
37 p, 37 n, 17 e
37 p, 20 n, 37 e

Transcript text: An atom of the isotope chlorine-37 consists of how many protons, neutrons, and electrons? ( $p=$ proton, $n=$ neutron, $e=$ electron) 18 p, 37 n, 18 e 17 p, 20 n, 17 e $17 \mathrm{p}, 20 \mathrm{n}, 18 \mathrm{e}$ 37 p, 37 n, 17 e 37 p, 20 n, 37 e

Solution

Solution Steps

Step 1: Identify the Atomic Number and Mass Number

The atomic number of chlorine (Cl) is 17, which means it has 17 protons. The mass number of the isotope chlorine-37 is 37.

Step 2: Determine the Number of Neutrons

The number of neutrons in an atom is given by the mass number minus the atomic number: \[ \text{Number of neutrons} = \text{Mass number} - \text{Atomic number} = 37 - 17 = 20 \]

Step 3: Determine the Number of Electrons

In a neutral atom, the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons. Therefore, chlorine-37 has 17 electrons.