Science

Grade 8 • Unit 12: Atomic Structure

LESSON 12.3
Atomic Number and Mass Number
Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Learning Competency 2

Learning Objectives 2

Warm-Up 2

Learn about It 4
Atomic Number 4
Mass Number 5

Worked Examples 8

Key Points 11

Check Your Understanding 11

Bibliography 13

Answer to Let’s Practice 13

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Grade 8 • Unit 12: Atomic Structure

Lesson 12.3
Atomic Number and Mass Number

The set of jewelry is made up of a variety of elements.

Introduction
A variety of elements are present in our everyday lives. For example, the pieces of jewelry
that women wear are made of gold and silver, while the air that we breathe consists of
gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. To date, the total number of elements
known is estimated to be 118. Each of these elements has a set of unique characteristics.
Have you ever wondered how these elements are set apart from each other? How
does the number of subatomic particles play out in forming the identity of each
element?

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Grade 8 • Unit 12: Atomic Structure

Learning Competency
At the end of this lesson, the given DepEd learning competency should be met
by the students.
● Determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in a particular
atom (S8MT-IIIe-f-10).

Learning Objectives
In this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
● Determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in an atom.
● Determine the atomic mass and mass number of an atom.

Warm-Up

How Heavy Is an Atom?

Can we measure the mass of a single atom? Can we weigh it on a weighing scale or in an
analytical balance? In this activity, you will find out a theoretical way on how atomic masses
are determined.

Procedure
1. The table on the next page shows the number of neutrons, protons, and electrons of
five elements. These data are obtained from the periodic table of elements.
2. Determine the atom’s mass number by adding the number of protons and the
number of neutrons. Write your answers in the last column.

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Grade 8 • Unit 12: Atomic Structure

Data Table
Table 12.3.1. Determining mass number of elements

Number of Number of Number of Mass

Element
protons electrons neutrons number

hydrogen 1 1 0

sulfur 16 16 16

scandium 21 21 24

tin 50 50 69

radon 86 86 136

Guide Questions
1. Recall Rutherford’s nuclear model of an atom. Where are the neutrons located? How
about the protons? the electrons?
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__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. From Rutherford’s nuclear model, the nucleus comprises 99.9% of the atom’s total
mass. From your answer to the previous question, which subatomic particles do you
think are directly involved in the atom’s mass?
__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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Grade 8 • Unit 12: Atomic Structure

3. Which of the set of elements is the heaviest? Which of the set of elements is the
lightest?
__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

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Learn about It

Atomic Number

Essential Question
How does the number of subatomic particles play out in forming the
identity of each element?

The atomic number is the number of protons in the atom. It is represented by the symbol
Z. In a neutral atom, the number of protons is the same as the number of electrons.
Therefore, the atomic number also shows the number of electrons present in the atom.

Table 12.3.2. Atomic numbers of some elements

Number of Number of
Element Atomic number (Z)
protons (p+) electrons (e–)

helium 2 2 2

lithium 3 3 3

beryllium 4 4 4

boron 5 5 5

carbon 6 6 6

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Grade 8 • Unit 12: Atomic Structure

As shown in Table 12.3.2, each element has a unique atomic number. This means that no
two elements can have the same atomic number. For this reason, the atomic number can
determine the chemical identity of an atom.

Mass Number
The mass number refers to the total number of protons and neutrons in the atom; it is
represented by the symbol A. The mass number of an atom can be calculated by getting the
total number of protons and neutrons. It is because the mass of an atom is composed
mostly of these two subatomic particles. Because of their extremely small size, the mass of
electrons in an atom is negligible.

Generally, the mass number can be determined by using the formula

A = p+ + n

where A is the mass number, p+ is the number of protons, and n is the number of neutrons.

In an alternate form, the equation above can also be expressed as

A=Z+n

where the proton number p+ is replaced by an equivalent variable Z which is the element’s
atomic number.

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Grade 8 • Unit 12: Atomic Structure

Table 12.3.3. Atomic numbers and mass numbers of some elements

Number of Number of Number of Atomic

Mass
Element protons electrons neutrons number
number (A)
(p+) (e–) (n) (Z)

helium 2 2 2 2 4

lithium 3 3 4 3 7

beryllium 4 4 5 4 9

boron 5 5 6 5 11

carbon 6 6 6 6 12

From the table above, the number of neutrons (n) in a neutral atom can also be predicted
by taking the difference between the mass number and atomic number, or simply n = A – Z.

Consider a lithium atom, for example. Lithium has a mass number of 7 and its atomic
number is 3. Based on this, the lithium’s neutron count can be computed as

n = A – Z = 7 – 3 = 4.

Hence, there are 4 neutrons in a neutral lithium atom.

When elements are represented in symbols, the atomic number and mass number are
included.

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Grade 8 • Unit 12: Atomic Structure

Fig. 12.3.1. The general symbol for an atom consists of its mass number
and atomic number.

Aluminum, for example, has 13 protons and 14 neutrons. It is represented as:

In some cases, only the mass number is included as seen below.

For simplicity, aluminum can also be written as aluminum-27 to indicate its mass number.

Tips
Suppose you are confused about which number in the chemical symbol
representation is the mass or atomic number. In that case, you can
remember that generally, mass numbers are greater in number than
atomic numbers.

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Grade 8 • Unit 12: Atomic Structure

Worked Examples
Example 1
Determine the atomic number and the mass number of silver, given its chemical symbol.

Solution
Step 1: Identify the atomic number directly from the given chemical symbol.
Recall that the upper number in a chemical symbol of an element represents the
mass number, while the lower number represents the atomic number.
From the given element symbol, the atomic number is 47.

Step 2: Identify the mass number directly from the given chemical symbol.
Recall that the upper number in a chemical symbol of an element represents the
mass number, while the lower number represents the atomic number.
From the given element symbol, the mass number is 108.

Silver has an atomic number of 47 and has an atomic mass of 108.

Let’s Practice
What is the atomic number and mass number of nickel given its
chemical symbol?

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Grade 8 • Unit 12: Atomic Structure

Example 2
Determine the number of protons and the number of electrons in mercury. Its chemical
symbol is given below.

Solution
Step 1: Identify the atomic number directly from the given chemical symbol.
Recall that the upper number in a chemical symbol of an element represents the
mass number, while the lower number represents the atomic number.
From the given element symbol, the atomic number is 80.

Step 2: Identify the number of protons and the number of electrons from the value of
the atomic number.
The number of protons is equivalent to the atomic number. Hence, for mercury,
the number of protons is also 80.
Similarly, for a neutral atom, the number of protons is equal to the number of
electrons. Hence, for mercury, the number of electrons is equal to 80.

Mercury has 80 electrons and 80 protons.

Let’s Practice
Determine the number of protons and the number of electrons in
rubidium. Its chemical symbol is given on the right.

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Grade 8 • Unit 12: Atomic Structure

Example 3
Determine the number of neutrons in antimony. Its chemical symbol is given below.

Solution
Step 1: Identify the atomic number and mass number directly from the given
chemical symbol.
Recall that the upper number in a chemical symbol of an element represents the
mass number, while the lower number represents the atomic number.
From the given element symbol, the atomic number is 51 and the mass number is
122.

Step 2: Identify the number of neutrons by transforming the equation for the mass
number.
The equation for the mass number given the atomic number and number of
neutrons is
A=Z+n

Then, we can rearrange the equation to isolate the number of neutrons, n, on one
side of the equation.
n=A−Z

Using this equation, we can calculate the number of neutrons as follows

n = A − Z = 122 − 51 = 71

Hence, there are 71 neutrons in antimony.

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Grade 8 • Unit 12: Atomic Structure

Let’s Practice
Determine the number of neutrons in cerium. Its chemical symbol is
given on the right.

Key Points

● The atomic number (Z) of an atom refers to the number of protons. Atoms of each
element have a unique atomic number.
● For a neutral atom, the number of protons is equivalent to the number of electrons.
● The mass number (A) of an atom refers to the total number of protons and
neutrons in an atom. This can be determined using the equation A = Z + n.

Check Your Understanding

A. Complete the table below. The first item is given as an example.

atom p+ n e− Z A

nitrogen 7 7 7 7 14

chlorine 17 18 17

calcium 20 20 20

titanium 22 26 22

gold 79 197

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Grade 8 • Unit 12: Atomic Structure

mercury 80 121 80

aluminum 13 13 27

platinum 78 195

B. Provide what is asked. Show solutions whenever necessary.

1. What is the atomic number of arsenic-75?

2. If an element has an atomic number of 28 and an atomic mass of 59, how many
electrons does it have?

3. What is the element with an atomic number of 36?

4. If an element has an atomic number of 73 and an atomic mass of 181, how many
neutrons does it have?

5. An element X contains 74 electrons in its neutral state. Provide the identity of

element X.

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Grade 8 • Unit 12: Atomic Structure

Bibliography

Chang, Raymond. 2008. General Chemistry: The Essential Concepts. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Tan Yin Toon, et al. 2013. Chemistry Matters 2nd Edition. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish
Education.

“The Atom and Electromagnetic Radiation.” Purdue University. Accessed August 20, 2017.
http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/ch6/atom_emrframe.html.

Answer to Let’s Practice

1. What is the atomic number and mass number of nickel given its
chemical symbol?

Answer: Nickel has an atomic number of 28 and has an atomic mass of 59.

2. Determine the number of protons and the number of electrons

in rubidium. Its chemical symbol is given on the right.

Answer: Rubidium has 37 electrons and 37 protons.

3. Determine the number of neutrons in cerium. Its chemical

symbol is given on the right.

Answer: There are 82 neutrons in cerium.

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