The Structure of an Atom

Atoms are the smallest units of ordinary matter. They are composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons. They have a net electrical charge and attach to other atoms by chemical bonds. In addition, an atom has a neutral or positive nucleus. Read on to learn more about the structure of an atom.

Atoms are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons
Atoms are very small particles that are made up of protons, neutron, and electrons. Protons and neutrons are located in the center of the atom, called the nucleus, and electrons are located on either side of the nucleus. The electrons carry a negative charge, while the protons carry a positive charge. Because of the opposite charges, electrons and protons attract each other.

Atoms are composed of two regions, the atomic nucleus and the electron cloud. The nucleus is the smaller part of the atom and contains the positively charged protons and neutral neutrons. The electron cloud is larger and is made up of negatively charged electrons. These particles attract each other to hold the atom together. Most atoms contain all three subatomic particles, although hydrogen is the only one that has just a single proton.

They have a net electrical charge
An atom's net electrical charge is determined by the number of electrons it has compared to its number of protons. This net charge reflects the imbalance in the number of electrons compared to protons. For example, an atom with seven protons and eight electrons has a net charge of -1.6 x 10-19 Coulomb. Adding one electron to an atom results in a negatively charged Cl ion.

The positive charge of a proton cancels the negative charge of a neutron. The resulting balance creates a stable atom with a net charge of zero. In contrast, an atom with an equal number of protons and electrons has a net charge of +1. However, an atom with an ionized charge has more electrons than protons. These are called "ions," and they attract other atoms and molecules.

They attach to other atoms by chemical bonds
Chemical bonds are the means by which atoms attach to each other. They are made up of two atoms that share electrons. When the protons and electrons of the two atoms are in the same energy level, they form a covalent bond. This bond is what keeps atoms together in polyatomic ions.

Atoms can also gain or lose electrons from one another. The most stable atomic arrangement is when the atoms have a full outer shell of electrons. During chemical reactions, the atoms change their electron configurations into lower energy arrangements.

They have a neutral or positive nucleus
Atoms are matter particles composed of two or more protons and one or more neutrons. Protons have a positive charge while electrons have a negative charge. Each atom is assigned a chemical element based on its atomic number. These elements are also given a unique name and one or two letter chemical symbol, usually derived from the element's Latin or English name. An example is sodium, which is given the symbol sodium, from the Latin name sodium.

Atoms are classified according to their numbers of protons and electrons. A neutral atom contains exactly the same number of protons as its electrons. Conversely, a negatively charged atom has more electrons than protons. When an atom loses an electron, it becomes an ion.

They have a neutral or positive number of electrons
Atoms have a neutral or positive charge, depending on their number of electrons. A neutral atom would contain an equal number of electrons and protons. If an atom has an excess number of electrons, it would be negatively charged. Atoms with an excess number of electrons are called ions.

Atoms carry a net positive or negative charge depending on whether they have a negative or positive charge on their electrons. The number of protons and electrons determine whether an atom is a cation or an anion.

They have a range in mass
The mass of an atom is determined by its number of protons and neutrons. The mass of electrons is much smaller than the mass of protons and neutrons. The electrons surround the nucleus and have a complex orbital structure. The mass of an atom is a function of its mass, size, and composition.

The mass of atoms at rest is extremely difficult to measure, as even the most massive atoms are too light to be expressed in conventional units. Therefore, scientists often use a more complicated system to express the mass of atoms. This is known as the atomic mass unit (amu). This unit represents one-twelfth the mass of a free neutral atom of carbon-12, which weighs 1.66x10-27 kg.

Deadline is approaching?

Wait no more. Let us write you an essay from scratch

Receive Paper In 3 Hours
Calculate the Price
275 words
First order 15%
Total Price:
$38.07 $38.07
Calculating ellipsis
Hire an expert
This discount is valid only for orders of new customer and with the total more than 25$
This sample could have been used by your fellow student... Get your own unique essay on any topic and submit it by the deadline.

Find Out the Cost of Your Paper

Get Price