Americium Protons Neutrons Electrons (And How to Find them?)

Americium Protons Neutrons Electrons

Americium has 95 protons, 148 neutrons and 95 electrons.

But how will you find the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in Americium (Am)?

Well, it is very easy to find the protons, neutrons and electrons of americium atom.

Here I have given a very simple method for finding the protons, neutrons and electrons of americium atom.

Let’s dive right into it!

Finding the Protons, Neutrons and Electrons in Americium

How to find protons?

  • The number of protons can be found by knowing the atomic number of that atom. [1]

How to find neutrons?

  • The number of neutrons can be found by subtracting the atomic number from its atomic mass.

How to find electrons?

  • For a neutral atom, the number of electrons can be found by knowing the atomic number of that atom.

Let’s calculate the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in americium.

#1 Number of Protons in Americium

If you have a periodic table with you, then most of the answers are in front of you.

You can see the elements, their atomic number and their atomic mass from the periodic table.

Now here our element is Americium (Am).

americium protons

So from the above periodic table, you can see that the atomic number of americium is 95.

As the atomic number of americium is 95, it has a total of 95 protons in its nucleus.

Thus, the number of protons in Americium is 95.

#2 Number of Neutrons in Americium

In order to find the number of neutrons of americium atom, you should know its atomic mass first.

The number of neutrons in americium can be obtained by subtracting the atomic number from its atomic mass.

americium neutrons

The atomic mass of americium is 243 u. [2]

So from this atomic mass (i.e 243), you have to subtract its atomic number (i.e 95).

So you will get 243 – 95 = 148.

Thus, the number of neutrons in Americium is 148.

#3 Number of Electrons in Americium

americium electrons

For a neutral atom, the number of electrons and the number of protons are the same.

Here, the americium atom is a neutral atom.

So the number of electrons in americium is equal to its number of protons (which is also equal to its atomic number).

In the beginning, we have found that the number of protons in americium is 95.

Thus, the number of electrons in Americium is 95.

Summary

Number of Protons in Americium

  • The number of protons can be found by knowing the atomic number of that atom.
  • Number of Protons in Americium = Atomic number of Americium = 95

Number of Neutrons in Americium

  • The number of neutrons can be found by subtracting the atomic number from its atomic mass.
  • Number of Neutrons in Americium = Atomic mass of Americium – Atomic number of Americium = 243 – 95 = 148

Number of Electrons in Americium

  • For a neutral atom, the number of electrons can be found by knowing the atomic number of that atom.
  • Number of Electrons in Americium = Atomic number of Americium = 95

I hope you have understood the simple method for finding the protons, neutrons and electrons of americium atom.

Check out related topics for more practice;
Californium protons neutrons electrons
Hydrogen protons neutrons electrons
Helium protons neutrons electrons
Lithium protons neutrons electrons
Beryllium protons neutrons electrons 

Author

Jay is an educator and has helped more than 100,000 students in their studies by providing simple and easy explanations on different science-related topics. With a desire to make learning accessible for everyone, he founded Knords Learning, an online learning platform that provides students with easily understandable explanations.

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