The Nuclear Atom - Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons

The planets circling around the sun in their well-defined orbits illustrate the structure and activity of the atom. The sun can be compared to the nucleus of neutrons and protons compris­ing the center of the atom. The planets surrounding the sun behave in much the same way as do the electrons in their orbits around the atom nucleus.The hydrogen atom is the least complex of the atom structures. This atom has one proton around which circles a single electron:

Another element with an extremely simple atomic structure is helium. The helium atom has a center consisting of two protons and two neutrons. Around this core circle the two elec­trons.

Here are the structures of a few more atoms:

Note that there are six electrons, two in the inner orbit and four in the outer one. This happens to be the carbon atom. Ther following are several other atoms in which electrons circle the nucleus in two orbits:

Here are a few of the atomic structures in which the electrons circle the nucleus in three orbits:

As the various atomic structures shown above indicate, the fundamental particles of matter are the electron, neutron and proton. Actually there are more than 30 basic particles known (to name but a few: meson, positrons, anti-protons). It is the electron, neutron and proton, however, that directly establish the chemical characteristics of the atom. Each of these three particles has its own definite characteristics:

Protons and electrons determine chemical properties of an atom. Neutrons merely add mass or weight to the atomic unit. (-->Next)