3.1.3

Subatomic Particles

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The Charges and Masses of Subatomic Particles

The 3 different sub-atomic particles (protons, neutrons and electrons) have different relative charges. In an atom, these charges all cancel each other out., meaning that atoms have zero overall charge (are neutral).

Illustrative background for ProtonsIllustrative background for Protons ?? "content

Protons

  • Protons have a relative charge of +1.
  • They are found in the nucleus.
  • An element’s atomic number is the number of protons it possesses.
    • All atoms of the same element will have an identical number of protons.
  • Protons have a relative atomic mass of 1.
Illustrative background for ElectronsIllustrative background for Electrons ?? "content

Electrons

  • Electrons have a relative charge of -1.
  • Electrons are found in fixed orbits around the nucleus.
  • In any atom, the total number of negative electrons equals the number of positive protons, meaning atoms have no overall electric charge.
  • Electrons have a relative atomic mass of 1/2000 which we approximate to be 0.
Illustrative background for NeutronsIllustrative background for Neutrons ?? "content

Neutrons

  • Neutrons have a relative charge of 0 - they are neutral.
  • Like protons, they are found in the nucleus.
  • Neutrons have a relative atomic mass of 1.

Jump to other topics

1States of Matter

2Elements, Compounds & Mixtures

3Atomic Structure

4The Periodic Table

5Chemical Formulae, Equations & Calculations

6Bonding

7Electrolysis

8Groups of the Periodic Table

9The Atmosphere

10Reactivity Series

11Metal Extraction

12Acids & Alkalis

13Chemical Tests

14Physical Chemistry

15Organic Chemistry

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