The number of neutrons in the nucleus, as you may have gathered from the above example, can however change, and we call atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons " isotopes ".

Number of protons + neutrons A = 35 Number of neutrons N = 35 - 17 = 18 The chlorine atom will also have 17 electrons, as an atom is neutral. Remember, there are no electrons in the nucleus.

Scientists have shown that 34 is a ''magic number'' for neutrons, meaning that atomic nuclei with 34 neutrons are more stable than would normally be expected. Earlier experiments had suggested ...

After measurements on oxygen-22 (14 neutrons, 8 protons) showed that 14 is a magic number of neutrons for this neutron-rich isotope, the hunt was on for a proton-rich counterpart. An important theory ...

However, one proton is about 1,835 times more massive than an electron. Atoms always have an equal number of protons and electrons, and the number of protons and neutrons is usually the same as well.

Nucleons, which include protons and neutrons, are the composite particles that make up atomic nuclei. While these particles have been widely studied in the past, their internal structure has not yet ...

In a separate case, scientists in 2009 showed that an oxygen-24 isotope behaved as though it were doubly magic, even though it did not have a magic number of protons and neutrons.