Question

How many protons, neutrons and electrons are in a neutral atom of sodium?

Answer 1

Hint: Sodium is a chemical element represented by the symbol $$Na$$ and has atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white and highly reactive metal. It is kept in the category of alkali metal and placed in the 1st group of the periodic table.

Complete answer:
A proton is a subatomic particle represented by the symbol $$p\text{ or }{\text{p}}^{\text{+}}$$ and it is positively charged and have mass slightly less than that of neutron. The number of protons in the nucleus generally defines the property of that element and is referred to as the atomic number of that element. Thus the number of protons in a sodium atom is 11.
Neutron is also a subatomic particle which is represented by the symbol $$\text{n or }{\text{n}}^0$$ it carries no charge i.e. neutral in nature. Number of neutrons can be calculated by subtracting the mass number through atomic number and we know that mass number of sodium is 23 and atomic number is 11 therefore neutrons present in the sodium atom are given by $$23-11=12$$.
Electrons are represented by the symbol $$e^{-}$$ and these are basically negative in charge. Number of electrons in a sodium atom is equal to the number of protons as sodium is neutral in nature so we can say that there are 11 number of electrons in a sodium atom.
Thus we can say that 11 protons, 12 neutrons and 10 electrons are present in a neutral atom of sodium.

Note:
An atom consists of a nucleus and this nucleus is made up of protons which are positively charged and neutrons that are neutral in nature i.e. carries no charge and electrons carrying negative charge are revolving around the nucleus.