Here Are 111+ Amazing Facts About Atoms That Will Amaze You

Atoms are the smallest particles that form one element, constituted by a nucleus, and electrons orbit around them.

Atoms are very small; individual atoms measure one-tenth of 100 crores of a meter. Atoms are very small; trillions of atoms are formed to make one object.

Each molecule is made of various numbers of protons. Some elements are made of one kind of atom, such as gold, while some elements are made of bonded atoms together, forming compounds, such as sodium chloride.

Elements such as hydrogen contain atoms that consist of one proton, and carbon atoms consist of six protons. The small molecules which frame the atom are called subatomic particles. There are vast kinds of atoms, around 100 types of which 92 are natural and eight are artificial.

These diverse atoms are distinguished according to the count of subatomic particles as neutrons, protons, and electrons. Atoms can be replaced or exchanged as they undergo chemical reactions and they are merged to make molecules.

History Of Atoms

The theory of the atom as an indivisible element was established in the early ages of the 5th century BC. Let's dive into facts about atoms and their history.

• The first theory about the atom as an indivisible matter was recorded by Greek philosophers, Leucippus and Democritus.
• A meteorologist and English chemist, John Dalton, takes credit for the first modern atomic theory with his learning and experiments on atmospheric gases.
• The modern word atom was taken from the Greek word atomos.
• Democritus initiated his theory as varieties, and combinations of, these tiny particles influence different forms of substance, but these suggestions were not appreciated at that period as the philosophers of the period believed the Aristotelian view.
• The old concept was later changed by various scientists and philosophers such as Newton, Boyle, Galileo, Dalton, and Lavoisier.
• Philosopher Boyle presented his ideas of atoms in his 'The Sceptical Chemist' in 1661.
• John Dalton explained his first modern atomic theory in his 'A New System of Chemical Philosophy'.
• Dalton's theory threw light on atomic structure, reactivity, and measurements of atomic masses.
• Dalton's theory explained that everything is made of atoms, atoms of various elements differ in size and mass, a given element's atoms are identical, atoms are durable, and chemical reactions can cause their rearrangements but cannot destruct or create.
• Dalton had put forward the law of multiple proportions, which states how reactants will join in set ratios. Dalton's theories were not recognized in the 19th century but were later accepted with changes addressed on subatomic particles and the interconversion of energy and mass.

Structure Of Atoms

The atomic model is the smallest unit structured by particles called electrons, neutrons, and protons which decide the charge and mass of the atoms. Here are a few intriguing facts about atoms and their structure.

• All atoms measure the same size irrespective of whether they have three or 90 electrons.
• The unit of length used to measure atomic sizes is called (Å) angstrom also known as 10−10 m.
• 1–2 Å is the measurement of the radius of an average atom.
• The nucleus, the center of an atom, occupies only 10−14 m of space in the atom.
• The unit of length used to measure nucleus sizes is called (fm) femtometre, defined as 10−15 m.
• The diameter of a nucleus is based on the number of particles it holds.
• Protons are enormous in the number of positively charged particles, while neutrons are more in number than protons with a negative charge.
• Each nuclei has roughly about one to 300 protons and neurons defining their mass.
• The nucleus is more massive than the electrons, even the lightest nucleus, the nucleus in hydrogen, is 1,836 times more enormous than an electron and heavy nuclei are closely 500,000 times more immense.
• All atoms are made of two factors; the core of the atom, the nucleus, which includes protons and neutrons, and the peripheral layer of the atom, where electrons are dispersed in orbit.
• Neutrons, protons, and electrons are subatomic particles.
• Protons possess a positive charge of electricity and they are bonded together with neutrons which have no electrical charge in the nucleus of each atom.
• Electrons around a nucleus possess a negative charge.
• Atoms are hollow with empty space; only the nucleus of an atom is heavy, holding all the mass of an atom. The electrons supply minimal mass to the atom. It roughly needs 1836 electrons to balance with the size of one proton.
• Protons and neutrons roughly share a similar mass, which amounts to 0.05 × 10-24 oz (1.67 × 10-24 g), which scientists term as one Dalton or one atomic mass unit abbreviated as amu.
• The positive charge found in a proton that is equal to +1 is similar to that of an electron with a negative charge which equals -1.
• An atom's orbit is far away from the nucleus making it 99.95% hollow. If the atom is big as a sports arena, the nucleus would be a little pea-size. Though an atom is huge, it has a lot of empty space, while an atomic nucleus is denser.

Properties Of Atoms

Atoms are composed of combinations of various subatomic or smaller particles. Let's read more about facts about atoms and their properties.

• Atoms are made of two regions; a center with an atomic nucleus and the outer region which is an electron cloud.
• The chemical behavior of atoms depends on the count of electrons and their arrangement in the electron cloud.
• The count of protons (atomic number) and neutrons determine the nuclear properties as nuclear cross-sections and atomic mass.
• Nuclear stability is a theory that helps determine isotope stability which depends on the ratio of neutrons and protons.
• A particular combination of protons and neutrons form stable nuclei, and unstable nuclei will go through nuclear decay to stabilize, which is a natural process.
• The number of protons in an atomic nucleus is known as the atomic number defined as Z.
• Protons determine the chemical properties of an atom while electrons determine the interaction of an atom with another.
• The combined weight of an atom is called the atomic weight.

Fun Facts About Atoms

Let's learn about more intriguing atom facts.

• There are wide ranges of atoms, about 100 kinds. Among them 92 are natural, and eight are manufactured in labs.
• The first atoms, which were artificial, are called technetium, which each contain 43 protons.
• New atoms are made by adding protons to the atomic nucleus. These new atoms are not stable and decompose into smaller atoms spontaneously. Generally, a new atom is identified with the decay of smaller atoms.
• Three forces classify the elements of the atom. Protons and neutrons are combined by nuclear forces.
• Electrical attraction supports protons and electrons. The attracting nuclear force is stronger than the electrical repulsion, which repels protons.
• The strong nuclear force that combines neutrons and protons is 1038 times stronger than gravity.
• Nuclear force is short-range, so elementary particles need to be tugged closed to feel the effect.
• The word 'atom' was derived from a Greek word that meant 'undivided' or indestructible.
• Atoms were considered to be units of matter that could not be broken or divided for a very long time.
• A typical atom is a block that builds elements that can be broken into the smallest particles.
• Nuclear decay and nuclear fission can divide or break atoms into smaller particles.
• Helium is known to be the smallest atom, and the largest atom is cesium, which is nine times bigger than the smallest atom.
• We have around seven billion atoms in the human body. Still, 98% of it is replaced every year.
• The hydrogen atom is the most bountiful kind of atom in our universe. In the Milky Way galaxy, 74% of the atoms are hydrogen atoms.
• Though atoms are very small, they consist of smaller particles called leptons and quarks. Neutrons and protons have three quarks each, while an electron is a lepton.
• Distinct numbers and types of atoms combine to form different elements. They combine in different ways forming different substances, with a unique count of electrons, protons, and neutrons.
• An atomic nucleus is the center of an atom and consists of abundant neutrons and protons. The nucleus is very dense, containing all the mass, and is hard to split, making the atom strong.
• Neutrons do not have electrical discharge individually, but the count of neutrons in the nucleus plays a huge role in the atom's radioactivity and atom's mass.
• Protons in the nucleus of an atom are positively charged. Every element has at least one proton, either natural or artificial. The mass of a neutron and proton are the same, but the mass of a proton is double the mass of an electron.
• Electrons spin very fast, making it difficult for scientists to observe and examine them as negatively charged electrons orbit around the nucleus.
• The periodic table is used to understand elements, their properties, and their chemical reactions.
• The first chemist who made a periodic table by arranging the elements with the order of increasing their masses was John Newlands.
• John Newlands also discovered the eight elements which had the same properties, arranged them into eight groups, and named this concept octaves.
• The modern periodic table was made by Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev, who left spaces for undiscovered elements.