* Atomic Number: Carbon always has an atomic number of 6. This means a neutral carbon atom has 6 protons.
* Neutral Atoms: In a neutral atom, the number of protons (positive charge) equals the number of electrons (negative charge).
* Isotopes: The number "16" in carbon-16 refers to its mass number, which is the total number of protons and neutrons. The number of protons doesn't change with isotopes, only the number of neutrons.
Therefore, carbon-16 has 6 electrons.
