Copyright: wiredcosmos When you view an atom, the first question you might ask is ‘what kind of atom is it?’ What you are really asking is ‘which element am I looking at?’ You can answer this by counting the number of protons in the atom. The number of protons , neutrons and electrons is the same in a neutral atom- that is, an atom with no charge. So, in a regular Calcium atom, there are 20 protons, 20 neutrons and 20 electrons. The electrons orbit around the nucleus and have a negative charge. An isotope is a version of the element with a different number of neutrons. When the number of protons differs from the number of electrons, you have an ionic charge. A Calcium atom with 20 protons and 18 electrons has a charge of 2+ because it has 2 extra protons, which have a positive charge. A charged atom is called an ion . When the charge is positive, it is called an cation . If the Calcium gained two more electrons it would have a charge of 2- because it has ...
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