Copper has a density of 8900 kg/m^3. If a copper atom loses one electron to become Cu^+, what fraction of its electrons has been removed?

• A. 1/63
• B. 1/47
• C. 1/29
• D. 1/12

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the number of electrons in a neutral copper atom. Copper has an atomic number of 29, which means it has 29 protons and, in its neutral state, 29 electrons.
2. Understand that when a copper atom loses one electron to become Cu⁺, it has lost 1 electron out of its original 29 electrons.
3. Calculate the fraction of electrons removed by dividing the number of electrons lost by the total number of electrons in the neutral atom: \(\frac{1}{29}\).
4. Note that the density of copper (8900 kg/m³) is not directly needed to find the fraction of electrons removed in this problem, as the fraction depends only on the number of electrons lost relative to the total electrons.
5. Conclude that the fraction of electrons removed when copper becomes Cu⁺ is \(\frac{1}{29}\).