In each of the questions given below, there are two statements labelle...
Assertion (A): An atom is neutral despite the charged particles in it.
Reason (R): The neutrons do not have any charge.
Explanation:
An atom is composed of three subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons have a positive charge, electrons have a negative charge, and neutrons have no charge.
- The atom as a whole is neutral:
- The protons and electrons in an atom carry equal but opposite charges.
- The positive charge of the protons is balanced by the negative charge of the electrons.
- As a result, the atom as a whole has no net charge and is electrically neutral.
- Assertion (A) is true:
- Despite the presence of charged particles (protons and electrons) in an atom, the atom as a whole does not have a net charge.
- This is because the number of protons, which determines the atomic number of an element, is equal to the number of electrons in a neutral atom.
- Reason (R) is true:
- Neutrons are electrically neutral particles.
- Neutrons do not possess any charge (positive or negative).
- They are found in the nucleus of an atom along with protons.
- The absence of charge on neutrons contributes to the overall neutral charge of an atom.
- However, Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A):
- While the reason correctly states that neutrons have no charge, it does not explain why an atom is neutral despite the presence of charged particles.
- The neutrality of an atom is a result of the equal number of protons and electrons, not solely due to the lack of charge on neutrons.
Therefore, the correct answer is option 'D' - Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).