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

Hafnium Protons Neutrons Electrons

Hafnium has 72 protons, 106 neutrons and 72 electrons.

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

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

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

Let’s dive right into it!

Finding the Protons, Neutrons and Electrons in Hafnium

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 hafnium.

#1 Number of Protons in Hafnium

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 Hafnium (Hf).

hafnium protons

So from the above periodic table, you can see that the atomic number of hafnium is 72.

As the atomic number of hafnium is 72, it has a total of 72 protons in its nucleus.

Thus, the number of protons in Hafnium is 72.

#2 Number of Neutrons in Hafnium

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

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

hafnium neutrons

The atomic mass of hafnium is 178.49 u (which you can round it to 178). [2]

So from this atomic mass (i.e 178), you have to subtract its atomic number (i.e 72).

So you will get 178 – 72 = 106.

Thus, the number of neutrons in Hafnium is 106.

#3 Number of Electrons in Hafnium

hafnium electrons

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

Here, the hafnium atom is a neutral atom.

So the number of electrons in hafnium 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 hafnium is 72.

Thus, the number of electrons in Hafnium is 72.

Summary

Number of Protons in Hafnium

  • The number of protons can be found by knowing the atomic number of that atom.
  • Number of Protons in Hafnium = Atomic number of Hafnium = 72

Number of Neutrons in Hafnium

  • The number of neutrons can be found by subtracting the atomic number from its atomic mass.
  • Number of Neutrons in Hafnium = Atomic mass of Hafnium – Atomic number of Hafnium = 178 – 72 = 106

Number of Electrons in Hafnium

  • For a neutral atom, the number of electrons can be found by knowing the atomic number of that atom.
  • Number of Electrons in Hafnium = Atomic number of Hafnium = 72

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

Check out related topics for more practice;
Tantalum protons neutrons electrons
Tungsten protons neutrons electrons
Rhenium protons neutrons electrons
Osmium protons neutrons electrons
Platinum 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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