Inside Atoms
Electrons, Protons and Neutrons
- Electrons, protons and neutrons are found in distinct separate regions
- Protons and Neutrons can be found in the centre of the atom - nucleus
- Neutrons do not have any charge
- Protons are positively charged
- The nucleus occupies a very small volume but is very dense
'The rest of the atom surround the nuclues is where elctrons are most likely to be found.'
page 32.
- Electrons are negatively charged
- Electrons move around very quickly in electron shells (also known as energy levels)
- Electrons are held within the atom by an electrostatic force of attraction (the force between electrons and the protons, with a positive charge, in the nucleus.
The ratio of the mass of one proton or one neutron and the mass of an electron is about....
1:1837
- The particles in an atom are measured in atomic mass units (amu)
'Although atoms contain electrically charged particles, the atoms themselves are electrically neutral'
page 33
- Atoms contain EQUAL numbers of electrons and protons
- Electrical charge of protons in the nucleus is balanced by the opposite charge of the electrons
Atomic Structure and Periodic Table
links to other subtopics in this section can be found here.
Chemistry-IGCSE