

The inner orbital's surrounding the atom are spherical but the outer orbital's are much more complicated.Ĭhemically bonding occurs when two particles can exchange or combine their outer electrons in such a way that is energetically favorable. Electrons surround the atom in pathways called orbitals. The magnitude of the charge on an electron is equal to the charge on a proton. Chemical bonding is essentially the interaction of electrons from one atom with the electrons of another atom. The electron is the lightweight particle that "orbits" outside of the atomic nucleus.

The nucleus is held together by the tight pull of what is known to chemists and physicists as the "strong force." This force between the protons and neutrons overcomes the repulsive electrical force that would, according to the rules of electricity, push the protons apart otherwise. Virtually all the mass of the atom resides in the nucleus. The nucleus of an atom is made up of protons and neutrons in a cluster. The electron cloud has a radius 10,000 times greater than the nucleus. Electrons are extremely lightweight and are negatively charged.They exist in a cloud that surrounds the atom. Protons have a positive electrical charge, and neutrons have no electrical charge. The three particles that make up atoms are protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons and neutrons are heavier than electrons and reside in the "nucleus," which is the center of the atom. The study of how these atoms interact is called chemistry. All macroscopic matter is made out of many tiny particles called atoms.
