Active Reading 10 Identify As you read this page and the next, underline the sentences that define the three types of pattictes that make up an atom. What are the parts of an atom? ‘This model of an atom shows where protons, neutrons, and electrons are found within the atom, Protons and neutrons are found in the center of the electron cloud. The particles in this ‘model are not shown in their correct proportions. If they were, the protons and neutrons would be too small to see. Protons Protons are the positively charged particles of atoms. The relative charge of a single proton is often written as 1+. The mass of a proton is very small—1.7 x 10°" g, or 0.0000000000000000000000017 g. The masses of particles in the atom are so small that scientists made a new unit for them: the unified atomic ‘mass unit (u). The mass of a proton is about | u. Neutrons Neutrons are particles that have no electric charge. They are alittle more massive than protons are. But the mass of a neutron is still very close to 1 u, Atoms usually have at least as many. neutrons as they have protons. ‘Together, protons and neutrons form the nucleus of the atom. The nucleus is located at the center of an atom. This model ofa beryllium atom shows that the nucleus of this atom is made up of four protons and five neutrons. Because each proton has a 1+ charge, the overall charge of this nucleus is 4+. (Remember: neutrons have no electric charge.) The volume of the nucleus is very small compared to the rest of the atom. But protons and neutrons are the most massive particles in an atom. So the nucleus is very dense. Ifit were possible to have a nucleus the volume of a grape, that nucleus would have a mass greater than 9 million metric tons! 162 | Unit 3 Atoms and the Periodic Table‘The negatively charged particles of the atom are called electrons. Electrons move around the nucleus very quickly, Scientists have found that itis not possible to determine both their exact positions and speed at the same time. This is why we picture the electrons as being in an electron cloud around the nucleus. ‘Compared with protons and neutrons, electrons have very little mass. It takes more than 1,800 electrons to equal the mass of 1 proton. The mass of an electron is so small that itis usually thought of as almost 0.u. The charge of a single electron is represented as I~. The charges of protons and electrons are opposite but equal. The number of protons in an atom equals the number of electrons, So the atom has a net, or overall, charge of 0. For example, this beryllium atom contains four electrons. The combined charge of the electrons is 4~. But remember that the charge ofthe nucleus is 4+. (44) +4) = ‘The net charge of the atom is 0. ‘An atom can lose or gain electrons. When this happens, we refer to the atom as an ion. Ions have a net charge that is not 0. 11 Summarize Complete the following table with Information about the parts of the atom Part of the atom Location in the atom | Electric charge Relative mass Slightly less massive cece) thana neutron 3 = Nucleus q 2 = =: 2a 2 m ee E g [; | aaa a ic) Lesson 1The Atom 163