It is defined as the average mass of atoms of an element, which is calculated with the help of relative abundance of isotopes of a naturally occurring element. For example, the atomic mass of hydrogen is 1.0079 and carbon is 12.011. Atomic number is defined as the number of protons in an element. However, isotopes of different elements can have the same mass number such as carbon-14 (6 protons + 8 neutrons) and nitrogen -14 (7 protons + 7 neutrons). Properties of Mass Number The various properties of mass number are enumerated here. Let us have a look. The mass number is the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in an atom. It is a whole number. The atomic mass is the average number of protons and neutrons for all natural isotopes of an element. It is a decimal number. Here is a list of the elements sorted by atomic number.Element nameElement symbolAtomic numberHydrogenH1HeliumHe2LithiumLi3.

In the modern periodic table, the elements are listed in order of increasing atomic number. The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. The number of protons define the identity of an element (i.e., an element with 6 protons is a carbon atom, no matter how many neutrons may be present). The number of protons determines how many electrons surround the nucleus, and it is the arrangement of these electrons that determines most of the chemical behavior of an element.

In a periodic table arranged in order of increasing atomic number, elements having similar chemical properties naturally line up in the same column (group). For instance, all of the elements in Group 1A are relatively soft metals, react violently with water, and form 1+ charges; all of the elements in Group 8A are unreactive, monatomic gases at room temperature, etc. In other words, there is a periodic repetition of the properties of the chemical elements with increasing mass.

Mass Number Of Elements List

In the original periodic table published by Dimitri Mendeleev in 1869, the elements were arranged according to increasing atomic mass— at that time, the nucleus had not yet been discovered, and there was no understanding at all of the interior structure of the atom, so atomic mass was the only guide to use. Once the structure of the nucleus was understood, it became clear that it was the atomic number that governed the properties of the elements.