Atoms, Ions, and Isotopes

Front

What is an atom?

Back

An atom is the smallest unit of an element, consisting of protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Front

What is a positive ion?

Back

A positive ion, or cation, is formed when an atom loses one or more electrons, resulting in more protons than electrons.

Front

What are isotopes?

Back

Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.

Front

What is the charge of a proton?

Back

A proton has a positive charge.

Front

What is the charge of an electron?

Back

An electron has a negative charge.

Front

What is the charge of a neutron?

Back

A neutron has no charge (it is neutral).

Front

How do protons and electrons interact?

Back

Protons and electrons attract each other due to their opposite charges.

Front

What is the role of neutrons in an atom?

Back

Neutrons help stabilize the nucleus of an atom by offsetting the repulsive forces between protons.

Front

What determines the identity of an element?

Back

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom determines the identity of an element.

Front

What is an ion?

Back

An ion is an atom or molecule that has a net electrical charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons.