How many neutrons does the most common isotope of potassium have?

How many protons,neutrons,and electrons does the isotope of potassium have?

• Answer:

  It depends on which isotope you are atlking about. The number of the isotope gives you the total number of nucleons (protons and neutrons) that it has. Potasium is element number 19, so it has 19 protons (it is electrically neutral so it has just as many electrons as protons). To find the number of neutrons just subtract 19 from the total number of nucleons. Potassium-39 has 20 neutrons, 19 protons and 19 electrons Potassium-40 has 21 neutrons, 19 protons and 19 electrons Potassium-41 has 22 neutrons, 19 protons and 19 electrons