An atom of a certain element has 5 electrons in its orbits. Which of these inferences is correct about the element?

Options

A. The atom would have an overall charge of -5 units.
B. The atom would have an overall charge of +5 units.
C. The atom would have 5 neutrons in its nucleus.
D. The atom would have 5 protons in its nucleus.

Answer

To determine the correct inference about an atom with 5 electrons in its orbits, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Electrons and Protons**:
- In an atom, the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons when the atom is neutral. This means that if there are 5 electrons, there must also be 5 protons.

2. **Evaluating the Charge of the Atom**:
- Since the number of electrons (which are negatively charged) equals the number of protons (which are positively charged), the overall charge of the atom will be neutral. Therefore, the atom does not have an overall charge of -5 or +5.

3. **Considering Neutrons**:
- Neutrons are neutral particles found in the nucleus of an atom. The number of neutrons can be calculated using the formula:
\[ \text{Neutrons} = \text{Mass Number} - \text{Proton Number} \]
- However, since the mass number is not provided, we cannot determine the number of neutrons in this case.

4. **Conclusion about Protons**:
- Since we established that the number of protons equals the number of electrons in a neutral atom, and there are 5 electrons, it follows that there are also 5 protons in the nucleus of this atom.

### Final Answer:
The correct inference about the element is that **the atom would have 5 protons in its nucleus**.