Atoms, Molecules and Chemical Reactions
Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. Matter is made up of atoms and molecules. Gases are matter made of single atoms or molecules that are very far apart, moving rapidly. Liquids are made up of atoms or molecules that are closer together so you can see the substance, but they still move a lot so liquids flow and take shape of the container they are in. Solids are atoms and molecules that are jammed closely together, they are still moving but they don't change their position, therefore the solid maintains it's shape.
An atom is an physical object that is so small that it can not be seen. These small atoms make up all of matter. Atoms are made up of even smaller particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons arranged in a particular way. Protons and neutrons are clustered together in the center of an atom, which is called a nucleus.
Atom
Motion of gas molecules Español: Animación mostr...
Various atoms and molecules as depicted in John Da...Outside the nucleus, the rest of the atom is mostly empty space. Orbiting at incredible speeds in this space are very small pieces of matter called electrons. Each proton has a positive charge. Each neutron has a neutral charge. Electrons have almost no mass and they are negatively charged.
There are naturally 92 different kinds of atoms, plus some man made ones. Each kind of atom is called an element. Atoms vary only in the number of protons, neutrons and electrons it has. Atoms combine with other atoms in order to try to fill up their outmost shell with electrons. They can do this by sharing a pair, or more, of electrons with another atom, which is called a covalent bond, or they can actually transfer electrons from one atom to another. This transfer causes both atoms to become charged...