Lithium has an atomic number of 3 and a mass number of 7. Which of the following is the number of neutrons in a lithium atom?
A. 4
B. 7
C. 12
D. 3
The atom is identified by the atomic number in the periodic table. The atomic number is equal to the number of protons and mass number is the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom. Thus, to find how many neutrons are in lithium atom we use the formula below.
Mass number = number of protons + number of neutrons.
Letting n be number of neutrons in the lithium atom, we have
7=3+n
Rearranging the above equation
3+n=7
n=7-3
n=4
Thus, lithium atom has 4 neutrons.
Therefore, the Correct Answer is A.