Which of the following statements about the atomic structure of an atom is false? i. an atom is mostly empty space. ii. almost all of the mass of the atom is concentrated in the nucleus. iii. the protons and neutrons in the nucleus are very tightly packed. iv. the number of protons and neutrons is always the same for all neutral atoms of that element. v. ions are formed by adding or removing either protons or electrons

V. Ions are formed by adding or removing either protons or electrons

Explanation:

According to Rutherford's atomic model, we have the following notes:

Most of the spaces of an atom are empty. The total mass of an atom is concentrated at the center of the atom. In the atom, neutrons and protons are located at its center called nucleus. This means it has a positive charge.

We also have some more points to note:

The atoms of the same element have the same proton number in each. If an atom has the same number of electrons and protons it then it is neutral. There is a very strong nuclear force acting between neutron and neutron, neutron and proton, and proton and proton which can't be overcome normally. This means a proton can't be ejected from an atom. To do this, we need to do a nuclear reaction in a nuclear reactor. However, an electron can be easily ejected from the atom. When an electron is added or removed from an atom, it gains a negative of positive charge on it. This charged atom is called an ion and the process is called ionization.

From the above discussion, we can conclude that option V is false.