Why do atoms
connect to one another?
There are many different types of bond that
will exist between atoms. One of the most common types is a covalent
bond – the sharing of electrons. The electrons of an atom exist in
orbits, with each orbit holding a certain number.
The orbits and the number of electrons that
they can hold are:
1st orbit –
2nd orbit –
3rd orbit –
4th orbit – 18
When an atom's outer electron shell is
completely full, it is stable and will not react with other atoms.
All of the Noble Gases – Argon, Helium, Xenon, Krypton, Radon, and
Neon are inert, and will not naturally react with other elements.
Due to this, single atoms of these gases can be found in nature.
|Other elements such as Oxygen
(O) and Hydrogen (H) are not stable as single atoms.
In the picture to the left, the
larger Oxygen atom has only 6 electrons in its outer electron
shell, needing 2 more to completely fill it.
|The 2 smaller
Hydrogen atoms both need 1 electron to fill their outer
|In the picture, the Hydrogen
atoms are "sharing" their one electron with the
Oxygen atom and the Oxygen atom is sharing one electron to
each of the Hydrogen atoms. Now each of the atoms have
complete outer electron shells, making this molecule stable.
What's in an Atom?
All matter is composed of atoms. Each
individual atom is composed of three parts: electrons, protons, and
- Found in the nucleus of the
- Has a positive (+) electric
- Weighs less than one
billionth of a gram
- Is approximately 2000 times
more massive than an electron
- Orbits the nucleus of the
- Has a negative (-) electric
- Weights approximately 1/2000
of a proton
- Found in the nucleus of the
- Has no electrical charge
- Weighs approximately the
same as a proton
For each atom, in its natural state, the
number of Electrons and the number of Protons is equal. This number
may or may not be the same as the number of Neutrons within that
atom, in fact, there may be several different numbers of Neutrons
within the nucleolus of the atoms of the same type.
Atoms of the same Element that have different
amounts of Neutrons within its nucleolus are called Isotopes.
An example of this is Chlorine; there may be 18 or 20 Neutrons
within its nucleolus.
Check the Interesting Websites for
more information on science of crystals and the elements that make
them, or check out our webpage on Crystals.
- links to web pages that deal with crystalization.
- common minerals and their uses.
- an online periodic table listing all known elements.
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