Proton
Proton, elementary particle that carries a positive electric charge and, along with the electron and the neutron, is one of the building blocks of all atoms. Elementary particles are the smallest parts of matter that scientists can isolate. The proton is one of the few elementary particles that is stable—that is, it can exist by itself for a long period of time. Protons and neutrons are the building blocks of the atomic nucleus, the center of the atom. Electrons form the outer part of the atom. Protons have a positive electrical charge of 1.602 x 10-19 coulomb. This charge is equal but opposite to the negative charge of the electron. Neutrons have no electrical charge. Protons have a mass of 1.67 x 10-27 kg and, along with neutrons, they account for most of the mass in atoms. Atoms contain an equal number of protons and electrons so that every atom has an overall charge of zero.(See also Atom and Electricity)
The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom determines what kind of chemical element it is. All substances in nature are made up of combinations of the 92 different chemical elements, substances that cannot be broken into simpler substances by chemical processes. The atom is the smallest part of a chemical element that still retains the properties of the element. The number of protons in each atom can range from one in the hydrogen atom to 92 in the uranium atom, the heaviest naturally occurring element. (In the laboratory, scientists have created elements with as many as 116 protons in each nucleus.) The atomic number of an element is equal to the number of protons in each atom’s nucleus. The number of electrons in an uncharged atom must be equal to the number of protons, and the arrangement of these electrons determines the chemical properties of the atom.
STRUCTURE AND CHARACTERISTICS
The proton is 1,836 times as heavy as the electron. For an atom of hydrogen, which contains one electron and one proton, the proton provides 99.95 percent of the mass. The neutron weighs a little more than the proton. Elements heavier than hydrogen usually contain about the same number of protons and neutrons in their nuclei, so the atomic mass, or the mass of one atom, is usually about twice the atomic number.
Protons are affected by all four of the fundamental forces that govern all interactions between particles and energy in the universe. The electromagnetic force arises from matter carrying an electrical charge. It causes positively charged protons to attract negatively charged electrons and holds them in orbit around the nucleus of the atom. This force also makes the closely packed protons within the atomic nucleus repel each other with a force that is 100 million times stronger than the electrical attraction that binds the electrons. This repulsion is overcome, however, by the strong nuclear force, which binds the protons and neutrons together into a compact nucleus. The other two fundamental forces, gravitation and the weak nuclear force, also affect the proton. Gravitation is a force that attracts anything with mass (such as the proton) to every other thing in the universe that has mass. It is weak when the masses are small, but can become very large when the masses are great. The weak nuclear force is a feeble force that occurs between certain types of elementary particles, including the proton, and governs how some elementary particles break up into other particles.
The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom determines what kind of chemical element it is. All substances in nature are made up of combinations of the 92 different chemical elements, substances that cannot be broken into simpler substances by chemical processes. The atom is the smallest part of a chemical element that still retains the properties of the element. The number of protons in each atom can range from one in the hydrogen atom to 92 in the uranium atom, the heaviest naturally occurring element. (In the laboratory, scientists have created elements with as many as 116 protons in each nucleus.) The atomic number of an element is equal to the number of protons in each atom’s nucleus. The number of electrons in an uncharged atom must be equal to the number of protons, and the arrangement of these electrons determines the chemical properties of the atom.
STRUCTURE AND CHARACTERISTICS
The proton is 1,836 times as heavy as the electron. For an atom of hydrogen, which contains one electron and one proton, the proton provides 99.95 percent of the mass. The neutron weighs a little more than the proton. Elements heavier than hydrogen usually contain about the same number of protons and neutrons in their nuclei, so the atomic mass, or the mass of one atom, is usually about twice the atomic number.
Protons are affected by all four of the fundamental forces that govern all interactions between particles and energy in the universe. The electromagnetic force arises from matter carrying an electrical charge. It causes positively charged protons to attract negatively charged electrons and holds them in orbit around the nucleus of the atom. This force also makes the closely packed protons within the atomic nucleus repel each other with a force that is 100 million times stronger than the electrical attraction that binds the electrons. This repulsion is overcome, however, by the strong nuclear force, which binds the protons and neutrons together into a compact nucleus. The other two fundamental forces, gravitation and the weak nuclear force, also affect the proton. Gravitation is a force that attracts anything with mass (such as the proton) to every other thing in the universe that has mass. It is weak when the masses are small, but can become very large when the masses are great. The weak nuclear force is a feeble force that occurs between certain types of elementary particles, including the proton, and governs how some elementary particles break up into other particles.
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