An atom is made of smaller pieces, called subatomic particles, but it’s still considered the

smallest possible unit of an element, because after you break an atom of an element into subatomic
particles, the pieces lose the unique properties of that element.
Virtually all substances are made of atoms. The universe seems to use about 120 unique
atomic Lego blocks to build neat things like galaxies and people and whatnot. All atoms are
made of the same three subatomic particles: the proton, the electron, and the neutron.
Different types of atoms (in other words, different elements) have different combinations of
these particles, which gives each element unique properties. For example:
_ Atoms of different elements have different masses. Atomic masses are measured in
multiples of the mass of a single proton, called atomic mass units (equivalent to 1.66 ×
10–27 kg), or amu. (We discuss atomic mass in more detail in the later section
“Accounting for Isotopes Using Atomic Masses.”)
_ Two of the subatomic particles — the proton and the electron — have a charge, so
atoms with different numbers of these two particles have different atomic charges.
Atomic charges are measured in multiples of the charge of a single proton.
The must-know information about the three subatomic particles is summarized in Table 3-1.
Table 3-1 The Subatomic Particles
Particle Mass Charge
Proton 1 amu +1
Electron 1⁄1836 amu –1
Neutron 1 amu 0
Notice in Table 3-1 that protons and electrons have equal and opposite charges, and that
neutrons are neutral. Atoms always have an equal number of protons and electrons, so the
overall charge of an atom is neutral (that is to say, zero). Many atoms actually prefer to gain
or lose electrons, which causes them to gain a nonzero charge; in other words, the number of
negative charges is no longer balanced by the number of positive charges. Charged atoms
are called ions and are explained in Chapter 5. Until then, assume that all of our atoms have
equal numbers of protons and electrons.
Now look at Table 3-1 with an eye to mass. Protons and neutrons have the same mass.
Electrons have nearly 2,000 times less mass. This means that most of an atom’s mass comes
from protons and neutrons. Although electrons contribute a lot of negative charge, they contribute
very little mass.
Fine, you say. It’s all well and good that the subatomic particles have all these lovely properties,
but what does an atom actually look like? Generations of ingenious scientists have tackled
this question. The result of all the clever experimentation and tricky math has been a
series of models, each a bit more refined than the one before. The models are milestones in a
scientific story. Pop some corn, and read on.

34 Part I: Getting Cozy with Numbers, Atoms, and Elements