Question

chapter 6 atoms and molecules

1. how are the atoms of one element different from the atoms of another element?

lots of elements on \the table\
with over 100 different elements to choose from, how do we keep track of them all? we pu
on a table called the periodic table of elements. (before reading on, take a look at the peri
on the next page, and see if you can figure out how it is organized!)
each rectangle on the table represents an element and contains several important pieces c
information.
element symbol: to avoid having to write down each chemical name over and over, the per
table introduces a kind of shorthand for the elements. each element has a one - letter or two
abbreviation. for example, carbon is abbreviated as c. sometimes the letters are different fr
you might expect because they are abbreviations of the latin name of the element, not the
this is the case with gold (au). the symbol au is from the latin word for gold, aurum.
figure 6.4 carbon
recall atomic number: this is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom of that e
is also the number of electrons in an uncharged atom of the element. the atomic numb
above the element symbol.
atomic mass: this is the average total mass of the protons, neutrons, and electrons of
specific element. the atomic mass is located below the element symbol.

Explanation:

The key difference between atoms of different elements lies in their atomic number. The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. Since each element has a unique number of protons, this distinguishes one element's atoms from another's. For example, carbon has an atomic number of 6 (6 protons), while gold has a different atomic number (79 protons).

Answer:

The atoms of one element differ from those of another element mainly in their atomic number (the number of protons in the nucleus).