
In
science, an
atom is a constituent of matter consisting of
z negatively charged electrons bound predominantly by the Coulomb force to a tiny, positively charged nucleus consisting of
Z protons and (
A -
Z) neutrons, where
Z is the atomic number and
A is the mass or nucleon number. [1] The negatively-charged electrons move about the positively-charged nucleus in regions called "orbitals", generally defined by the 90% probability region of movement, whose shape is determined by a combination of an attraction for the positive charge as this conflicts with like-like negative charge repulsion effects of the crowding of negatively-charged electrons around the nucleus.
The
human molecule, i.e. one average 70-kg (154-lb) person, is composed of 6.9 x 10E27 atoms, of 26 varieties, from hydrogen H, the smallest containing one proton and one electron, to iodine I, the largest containing 53 protons, 74 neutrons, and 53 electrons. [2]
See also●
Atomism●
Human atom●
Social atom References1. Licker, Mark, D. (2004).
McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Chemistry. New York: McGraw-Hill.
2. (a) Emsley, John. (2001).
Nature's Building Blocks - an A-Z Guide to the Elements. New York: Oxford University Press.
(b) Thims, Libb. (2008).
The Human Molecule, (
preview). Morrisville, NC: LuLu.
External links ●
Atom - Wikipedia.