Question

Which of the following elements has 17 electrons and 17 protons?
i.Sodium
ii.Sulphur
iii.Aluminium
iv.Chlorine

Answer 1

The atom of an element consists of electrons, protons, and neutrons. The protons and neutrons are embedded in the nucleus of the atom and the electrons revolve around the nucleus in specific shells. There is a force of attraction between the protons and electrons. It is balanced as the number of electrons and protons in an element are the same.

Complete answer:
To find out the element that has the 17 electrons and protons respectively, we have to look after the periodic classification of the Modern periodic table. The modern periodic table is grouped based on the atomic number of the element. The atomic number is based on the number of protons present in the atom.
According to the modern periodic table the first element that has the atomic number 1, that is hydrogen. So, the 17th element from hydrogen is Chlorine.
The element Chlorine has a total of 17 electrons and 17 protons. It is categorized in the Halogen family and is placed in the 7th group of the periodic table.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option iv- Chlorine.

Additional information:
Chlorine is considered the second lightest halogen after fluorine. It has an electronic configuration $[Ne]\text{ 3}{{\text{s}}^{2}}\text{ 3}{{\text{p}}^{5}}$. Chlorine is widely used as a disinfectant to purify drinking water and clean the swimming pool water. It is used for the production of paper and paper goods. Chlorine is also used as an antiseptic on wounds.
Note: For an atom to be neutral in charge, it should have the same number of electrons and protons. If the electrons are lost or gained, the atom becomes an ion. The increase in the number of electrons makes it a negative ion and the decrease in the number of electrons makes it a positive ion. A positive ion has more protons than a negative ion.