Question

Elements are defined by their atomic number, a number that describes the amount of what in the element?

Answer 1

protons

Rutherfords nuclear model of the atom helped explain why atoms of different elements exhibit different chemical behavior. The identity of an element is defined by itsatomic number  Z , the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom of the element. The atomic number is therefore different for each element. The known elements are arranged in order of increasing Z in the periodic table  Figure 1.24 "The Periodic Table Showing the Elements in Order of Increasing "; also see Chapter 32 "Appendix H: Periodic Table of Elements" ,.