An atom with 17 protons, 18 neutrons, and 17 electrons is a chlorine atom. The mass of this atom is primarily determined by the sum of protons and neutrons, as electrons have negligible mass. Mass Calculation:
- Number of protons = 17
- Number of neutrons = 18
- Mass number (A) = protons + neutrons = 17 + 18 = 35
Therefore, the mass number of this chlorine atom is 35 atomic mass units (amu)
. Electrons do not significantly contribute to the mass, so the atomic mass is effectively the mass number, which is 35 amu.
