1 Atomic stru ctu re The Stru ctu re of the Atom Mass Spectrometry Electronic Stru ctu re Ionisation Energies THE STRUCTURE OF THE ATOM a) Protons, neu trons and electrons Atoms are made up of three fundamental particles: protons, neu trons and electrons
Protons and neutrons are found in the nucleus and are collectively called nu cleons
Electrons orbit the nucleus in a similar way to that in which planets orbit a sun
In between the electrons and nucleus there is nothing (empty space)
The nucleus is very small; if an atom were the size of a football pitch, the nucleus would be the size of a drawing pin
The basic properties of these three particles can be summarized in the following table: Particle Charge Mass Proton +1 unit Approx 1 unit Neutron No charge Approx 1 unit Electron -1 un