Atomic+Number

The number of protons in the element determines the atomic number. Carbon has 6 protons, therefore its atomic number is 6. The number of electrons an element has is also the same as the number of protons that the element has, if it is a neutral element and not an ion. Carbon has 6 protons so it also has 6 electrons. An element's atomic number gives it unique properties, different from all the other elements. The number of protons an element has is equal to the charge of the nucleus. Atomic number should not be confused with the mass number, which is the total number of protons //and// neutrons in the nucleus of an atom. Atomic number should also not be confused with atomic mass, which is the mass of all the protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.

In chemistry and physics, the **atomic number** (also known as the **proton number**) is the number of protons found in the nucleus of an atom and therefore identical to the charge number of the nucleus. It is conventionally represented by the symbol //**Z**//. The atomic number uniquely identifies a chemical element. In an atom of neutral charge, the atomic number is also equal to the number of electrons. The atomic number, //Z//, should not be confused with the mass number, //A//, which is the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom. The number of neutrons, //N//, is known as the neutron number of the atom; thus, //A// = //Z// + //N//. Since protons and neutrons have approximately the same mass (and the mass of the electrons is negligible for many purposes), and the mass defect is usually very small compared to the mass, the atomic mass of an atom is roughly equal to //A//. Atoms having the same atomic number //Z// but different neutron number //N//, and hence different atomic mass, are known as isotopes. Most naturally occurring elements exist as a mixture of isotopes, and the average atomic mass of this mixture determines the element's atomic weight. The conventional symbol //Z// presumably comes from the German word //Atom**z**ahl// (atomic number). Atomic numbers helo one determine what amount of protons are in the atoms nucleaus the atomic number determinesalot about an atom.

Chemical properties
Each element has a specific set of chemical properties as a consequence of the number of electrons present in the neutral atom, which is //Z// (the atomic number). The configuration of these electrons follows from the principles of quantum mechanics. The number of electrons in each element's [|electron shells], particularly the outermost valence shell , is the primary factor in determining its chemical bonding behavior. Hence it is the atomic number alone that determines the chemical properties of an element; and it is for this reason that an element can be defined as consisting of //any// mixture of atoms with a given atomic number.

The atomic number is equal to the number of protons in an atom's nucleus. The atomic number determines which element an atom is. For example, any atom that contains exactly 47 protons in its nucleus is an atom of silver