To identify the element and calculate the atomic mass of an atom based on a model showing the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus, you can follow these steps:
Identify the number of protons: The number of protons in an atom determines its atomic number (Z), which uniquely identifies the element. Each element has a specific number of protons. You can refer to the periodic table to determine the element corresponding to the given number of protons.
Calculate the number of neutrons: Subtract the number of protons (atomic number) from the total number of particles in the nucleus (protons + neutrons). This will give you the number of neutrons in the atom.
Identify the element: Based on the atomic number (number of protons), you can identify the element by referring to the periodic table. Each element is represented by a unique symbol.
Calculate the atomic mass: The atomic mass of an atom is the weighted average mass of all its isotopes. Isotopes are atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons. The atomic mass is given as a decimal number on the periodic table for each element. The atomic mass is calculated by taking into account the abundance (percentage occurrence) of each isotope in nature.
To calculate the atomic mass, you can multiply the mass of each isotope by its abundance (expressed as a decimal), and then sum up these values.
Keep in mind that the atomic mass provided on the periodic table is an average value due to the presence of isotopes, so the calculated atomic mass may be slightly different depending on the specific isotopic composition of the sample.