What is meant by atomic no. of an element ? Does the atomic number of an element change when its atoms form ions ? Give one example each of diatomic and triatomic molecules.
Atomic number can be defined as the number of protons present in the nucleus of an atom. Atomic number of an element does not change when it forms ions because the number of protons does not alter. For example diatomic molecule—oxygen (O2) triatomic molecule- water (H2O), O3 (ozone), the atomic number of oxygen is 8 in all case.