Basics of BiologyBasic Chemistry For Biology |
What is an atom? |
An atom is the smallest unit of an element, containing the unique chemical properties of that element. Atoms are very small—several million atoms could fit in the period at the end of this sentence.
Subatomic Particle |
Charge |
Mass |
Location |
Proton |
Positive |
1.7 × 10-24 g |
Nucleus |
Neutron |
Neutral |
1.7 × 10-24 g |
Nucleus |
Electron |
Negative |
9.1 × 10-28 g |
Orbits around nucleus |