Question

Uranium- 235 is the isotope of uranium commonly used in nuclear power plants. How many (a) protons are in its nucleus? (b) neutrons are in its nucleus? (c) electrons are in a uranium atom?

Short answer

Answer: In a Uranium-235 atom, there are 92 protons, 143 neutrons, and 92 electrons.

Step-by-step solution

(Step 1: Understanding isotopes)

An isotope is a variant of a chemical element, which has the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons in its nucleus. The isotope number (in this case, 235) represents the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.

(Step 2: Finding the atomic number of Uranium)

The atomic number of an element represents the number of protons in its nucleus. Looking up the atomic number of uranium, we find that it is 92. This means there are 92 protons in every uranium atom, regardless of the isotope.

(Step 3: Calculate the number of protons)

Since the atomic number of uranium is 92, there are 92 protons in the nucleus of a Uranium-235 atom.

(Step 4: Calculate the number of neutrons)

To find the number of neutrons, we subtract the number of protons (atomic number) from the total isotope number (mass number). In this case, for Uranium-235: Number of neutrons = Mass number - Number of protons = 235 - 92 = 143 So there are 143 neutrons in the nucleus of a Uranium-235 atom.

(Step 5: Calculate the number of electrons)

In a neutral atom, the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons. Since Uranium has an atomic number of 92, there are 92 electrons in a uranium atom. In conclusion: (a) There are 92 protons in the nucleus of Uranium-235 atom. (b) There are 143 neutrons in the nucleus of Uranium-235 atom. (c) There are 92 electrons in a uranium atom.