Atomic vocabulary

Anion

Negative charged ion

Atom

Smallest unit of matter, made up of protons, neutrons and electrons

Atomic mass

The total mass of an atom, sum of protons and neutrons, average mass of all the isotopes of an element

atomic mass unit

AMU, a unit used for masses of atoms, molecules, or subatomic particles

Atomic number

Number of protons in an atom

cation

an ion with a net positive charge, formed when an atom loses electrons

Electron

A negatively charged subatomic particle

element

Substances that are composed of atoms that have the same atomic number (# of protons)

Ground state

Most stable state of an atom

Isotope

Atoms of an element that have the same number of protons but different neutrons

Ion

An atom of a group of atoms that has lost or gain electrons, resulting in a positive or negative charge

Mass number

Sum of protons and neutrons in an atom, identifies an isotope

Neutron

A subatomic particle with no charge (neutral)

Non-valence electrons

An electron on the innermost part of an atom

nucleus charge

A charge in nucleus, # of protons in a nucleus

Nucleon

Protons/neutrons

Nucleus

A positively charged region at the center of the atom, contains protons and neutrons

Proton

A positivity charged subatomic particle

Valance electrons

An electron on the outermost part of an atom

Subatomic particles

Inside the atom, neutron, proton, electron