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Ch.2 - Atoms & Elements
Chapter 2, Problem 46

How many electrons are necessary to produce a charge of -1.0 C? What is the mass of this many electrons?

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1
Determine the charge of one electron, which is approximately -1.602 x 10^{-19} coulombs.
Calculate the number of electrons needed to produce a total charge of -1.0 C by dividing the total charge by the charge of one electron. Use the formula: \text{Number of electrons} = \frac{\text{Total charge}}{\text{Charge per electron}}.
Find the mass of one electron, which is approximately 9.109 x 10^{-31} kilograms.
Multiply the number of electrons calculated in step 2 by the mass of one electron to find the total mass of the electrons. Use the formula: \text{Total mass} = \text{Number of electrons} \times \text{Mass of one electron}.
Summarize the results to find the total number of electrons and their corresponding mass.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Charge of an Electron

An electron carries a fundamental charge of approximately -1.6 x 10^-19 coulombs. This negative charge is a basic property of electrons and is essential for understanding electric charge in atoms and molecules.
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Formal Charge

Calculating Number of Electrons

To find the number of electrons needed to produce a specific charge, divide the total charge by the charge of a single electron. For a charge of -1.0 C, the calculation involves dividing -1.0 C by -1.6 x 10^-19 C/electron, yielding the total number of electrons required.
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Number of Electrons in Shells

Mass of an Electron

The mass of a single electron is approximately 9.11 x 10^-31 kilograms. To find the total mass of a certain number of electrons, multiply the number of electrons by the mass of one electron, which allows for the conversion of charge into a corresponding mass.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Imagine a unit of charge called the zorg. A chemist performs the oil drop experiment and measures the charge of each drop in zorgs. Based on the results shown here, what is the charge of the electron in zorgs (z)? How many electrons are in each drop?

Drop # Charge

A –4.8×10–9 z

B –9.6×10–9 z

C –6.4×10–9 z

D –12.8×10–9 z

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Textbook Question

On a dry day, your body can accumulate static charge from walking across a carpet or from brushing your hair. If your body develops a charge of -15 µC (microcoulombs), how many excess electrons has it acquired?

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Textbook Question

On a dry day, your body can accumulate static charge from walking across a carpet or from brushing your hair. If your body develops a charge of -15 µC (microcoulombs), what is their collective mass?

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Textbook Question

Which statements about subatomic particles are true? a. If an atom has an equal number of protons and electrons, it will be charge-neutral. b. Electrons are attracted to protons. c. Electrons are much lighter than neutrons. d. Protons have twice the mass of neutrons.

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Textbook Question

Which statements about subatomic particles are false? a. Protons and electrons have charges of the same magnitude but opposite sign. b. Protons have about the same mass as neutrons. c. Some atoms don't have any protons. d. Protons and neutrons have charges of the same magnitude but opposite signs.

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Textbook Question

How many electrons does it take to equal the mass of a proton?

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