Sub-Atomic Particles
Chemistry: AQA GCSE Higher, topic 1.1.9
The Charges of Sub-Atomic 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).
Protons (+1)
- Protons have a relative charge of +1.
- Protons are found in the nucleus.
- An element’s atomic number is the number of protons it has.
- All atoms of the same element will have an identical number of protons.
Electrons (-1)
- 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.
Neutrons (0)
- Neutrons have a relative charge of 0 - they are neutral.
- Like protons, they are found in the nucleus.
Test yourself on Sub-Atomic Particles
Which of the following are true?
What is the overall charge of the nucleus of an atom?
An atom has 11 protons. How many electrons does this neutral atom contain?
How does the relative charge of a proton compare with the relative charge of an electron?