A sulfide ion is represented by the symbol ^{32}_{16}\text{S}^{2-}. How many neutrons, pro… — JAMB UTME

A sulfide ion is represented by the symbol $^{32}_{16}\text{S}^{2-}$ . How many neutrons, protons, and electrons are present in this ion?

16 neutrons, 16 protons, and 18 electrons

For the nuclide symbol

^{32}_{16}\text{S}^{2-}

, the atomic number is 16, which dictates that the species has 16 protons. The mass number is 32, so the number of neutrons is

32 - 16 = 16

. Because the species is a divalent anion (

\text{S}^{2-}

), it has gained 2 electrons beyond its neutral count of 16, giving a total of 18 electrons.

Determine the number of protons and neutrons from the nuclide symbol

Protons = 16, Neutrons = 16

The lower subscript represents the atomic number (

Z = 16

), which equals the number of protons. The upper superscript represents the mass number (

A = 32

). The number of neutrons is calculated as

A - Z = 32 - 16 = 16

Determine the number of electrons for the charged species

Electrons = 18

The ion carries a charge of

-2

, meaning it has gained 2 extra electrons compared to its neutral atomic state (

16 + 2 = 18

Subatomic Particle Calculations in Ions

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