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 Form 2 Chemistry Online Lessons: Atomic structure and the periodic table

Definition of Atom,Nucleus and energy levels

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Answer Text:
Definition of Atom, Nucleus and Energy levels:
The atom:
- Refers to the smallest particle of an element that can take part in a chemical reaction;
- It has an average diameter of #10^-8# cm with a nucleus of about #10^-13# cm;
Parts of an atom
- The atom is made of two main parts:
-The nucleus
-The energy levels;
1. The nucleus:
- Is the positively charged part of an atom;
- The nucleus contains two subatomic particles; neutrons and protons;
- The positive charge is due to presence of protons;
- The nuclei of all atoms contain neutrons except the hydrogen atom;
- The protons and the neutrons are together referred to as the nucleons;
2. The energy levels.
- They contain the electrons;
- Electrons are so small and move so fast that their path cannot be traced directly;
- Thus the energy level simple represents the region where the electrons are most likely to be found;
Structure of the atom.
Note:
- The atom can still however be split into smaller particles termed the sub-atomic particles;


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