1 In an atom of matter
2 A typical atom
3 Ion
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1 In an atom of matter
- In an atom of matter, an electrical
charge occurs whenever the number of protons in the nucleus differs from the
number of electrons surrounding that nucleus.
- If there are more electrons than protons, the atom has a negative charge. If there are fewer electrons than protons, the atom has a positive charge.
2 A typical atom
- A typical atom consists of three subatomic particles: protons, neutrons,
and electrons.
- Other particles exist
as well, such as alpha and beta particles (which are discussed below).
- Most of an atom's mass is in the nucleus—a
small, dense area at the centre of every atom, composed of nucleons.
- Nucleons include protons and neutrons. All the positive charge of an
atom is contained in the nucleus, and originates from the protons.
- Neutrons are neutrally-charged. Electrons, which are negatively-charged, are located outside of the nucleus.
- source
- An atom as a whole is electrically neutral.
When one or more electrons is/are stripped away from an atom, it becomes
positively charged. Some atoms can attract additional electrons so they
become negatively charged. Atoms which are not electrically neutral are
called ions. Source of this item.
3 Ion
- An ion
is an electrically
charged atom or group
of atoms. It is a part of an atom,
or part of a group of atoms (molecule).
- It is "charged" so it will move near electricity.
- This is because atoms are made of three smaller parts (1) neutrons (with no
charge), and equal numbers of (2) charged protons and (3)
oppositely-charged electrons.
- An ion has unequal numbers of protons and electrons. Making an ion from an atom or molecule is called ionization.