Atoms & Molecules

Examples of matter include any solids, liquids or gases. A ball, water and oxygen are all examples of matter. Examples of things that are NOT matter would be ideas, energy and feelings.

Atoms are found everywhere. All matter is made up of atoms.

Scientists have invented special microscopes to help us see atoms. Before the microscopes were invented, scientists did experiments to learn about the structure of an atom.

Atoms are made up of 3 different smaller particles; protons, neutrons and electrons.

Each element has a certain number of protons, electrons and neutrons. For example, carbon has 6 protons, 6 electrons and 6 neutrons. Oxygen has 8 protons, 8 electrons and 8 neutrons.

The Periodic Table of Elements is a big chart that lists all the elements that have been discovered so far. It gives us a lot of information about the elements like the name, symbol as well as its atomic structure and reactivity.

Since the Scanning Tunneling Microscope is so powerful, you would see tiny spheres which are iron atoms (the smallest possible unit of iron).

An atom is made up of 3 particles; protons, neutrons and electrons. Protons are positively charged and are positioned in the center of an atom. Neutrons are not charged and are also located in the center of an atom. Electrons orbit the center very quickly and are negatively charged.

Some examples of elements are gold, iron, copper and carbon. Anything on the periodic table is an element. All elements are pure substance made up of only one type of atom.

The Periodic Table of Elements shows the names and abbreviations for each element. It also tells you how many protons, neutrons and electrons each atom has. The atomic number of each element corresponds with how many protons and electrons an element has. We cover more details about the periodic table in our lesson called “The Periodic Table.”

In 1908, Ernest Rutherford did an experiment where he shot beams of radiation through gold foil which is made up of gold atoms. Most of the radiation went right through the gold foil, while only a tiny fraction of the beams bounced back. This supports the atomic model with most of the mass at the center with electrons orbiting far away from it.

Scientists in the medical field use molecules on a regular basis to develop new medicines to help fight diseases. Specifically, biomedical scientists may be able to replicate naturally occurring molecules to help people with deficiencies.