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Lithium has 3 protons and typically 4 neutrons in its nucleus.
Lithium typically has 3 or 4 neutrons because lithium has an atomic number of 3, meaning it has 3 protons in its nucleus. Neutrons help stabilize the nucleus of an atom, and having 3 or 4 neutrons allows lithium to have a stable configuration.
Lithium Atomic number = number of proton = 3 Mass number = number of proton + neutrons = 7 Therefore number of neutrons = 7 - 3 = 4
Lithium 6 and lithium 7 are isotopes of lithium. The main difference between them is in the number of neutrons in their nuclei - lithium-6 has 3 neutrons, while lithium-7 has 4 neutrons. Lithium-7 is more abundant in nature than lithium-6.
The lithium ion is essentially the same as the lithium atom, except it has lost 1 electrons. The number of protons and neutrons remain the same. Thus, the lithium ion, Li+ has 3 neutrons, just like the lithium atom.