Question

If xenon has an atomic number of 54 and the mass number of 108, how many neutrons does it have?

Answer 1

Hint:The number of neutrons present in the nucleus is calculated by subtracting the mass number of the atom with the atomic number of the atom. The mass number of the atom is calculated by summing the number of protons and neutrons.

Complete step by step answer:
Given,
The atomic number of Xenon is 54.
The mass number of Xenon is 108
The atom is the smallest unit which forms a chemical element. Each atom is formed of a nucleus where the electrons are surrounding the nucleus. The nucleus is composed of one or more protons and the number of neutrons.
The number of protons in the nucleus of the atom is equal to the atomic number (Z. The mass number of the atom is defined as the sum of the number of protons and neutrons present in the nucleus.
The number of neutrons present in the nucleus is equal to the difference between the mass number of atom (M) and the atomic number (Z).
The number of neutrons is calculated by equation as shown below.
$Numberofneutron=massnumber-atomicnumber$
The xenon is the chemical element with symbol Xe. The atomic number (Z) of Xe is 54. The mass number of xenon is 108.
The number of neutrons of xenon Xe is calculated as shown below.
$\Rightarrow Numberofneutrons=108-54$
$\Rightarrow Numberofneutrons=54$
Therefore, the number of neutrons in xenon (Xe) is 54.

Note:
In the nucleus, the number of electrons is the same as the number of protons for an atom. The mass number varies in different isotopes of the atom and so the number of neutrons.