Fluorine has an atomic number of 9, which means it has 9 protons in its nucleus. The most common isotope of fluorine is fluorine-19, which has a mass number of 19. The mass number is the sum of the protons and neutrons in the nucleus.
To find the number of neutrons, you can use the following formula:
Number of Neutrons = Mass Number – Atomic Number
For fluorine-19:
- Mass Number = 19
- Atomic Number (Number of Protons) = 9
Substituting these values into the formula gives:
Number of Neutrons = 19 – 9 = 10
Thus, fluorine has 10 neutrons in its nucleus.