To determine the number of electrons in a plus 3 cation of an element with an atomic number of 13, we first need to understand a few basic concepts about atomic structure.
The atomic number of an element represents the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom of that element. In this case, with an atomic number of 13, we know that the element has 13 protons. In its neutral form, the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons, so a neutral atom of this element would also have 13 electrons.
However, the question specifies that we are dealing with a plus 3 cation. A cation is a positively charged ion, which means it has lost some electrons. Specifically, a plus 3 cation indicates that the atom has lost 3 electrons.
To find the number of electrons in this cation, we subtract the number of lost electrons from the number of original electrons:
Number of electrons in cation = 13 (original electrons) – 3 (lost electrons) = 10 electrons.
Therefore, a plus 3 cation with an atomic number of 13 has 10 electrons.