An object that has unequal numbers of electrons and protons is electrically charged.
Electrons and protons have electric charge.In a neutral atom, there are as many electrons as protons, so there is no net charge.
If an electron is removed from an atom, the atom is no longer neutral. It has one more positive charge than negative charge.
A charged atom is called an ion.
•A positive ion has a net positive charge; it has lost one or more electrons. (CATION)
•A negative ion has a net negative charge; it has gained one or more extra electrons. (ANION)
Matter is made of atoms, and atoms are made of electrons and protons.
An object that has equal numbers of electrons and protons has no net electric charge.
But if there is an imbalance in the numbers, the object is then electrically charged.
An imbalance comes about by adding or removing electrons.
The innermost electrons in an atom are bound very tightly to the oppositely charged atomic nucleus.
The outermost electrons of many atoms are bound very loosely and can be easily dislodged.
How much energy is required to tear an electron away from an atom varies for different substances.
When electrons are transferred from the fur to the rod, the rod becomes negatively charged.
Electrons are neither created nor destroyed but are simply transferred from one material to another. This principle is known as conservation of charge.
In every event, whether large-scale or at the atomic and nuclear level, the principle of conservation of charge applies.
Any object that is electrically charged has an excess or deficiency of some whole number of electrons—electrons cannot be divided into fractions of electrons.
This means that the charge of the object is a whole-number multiple of the charge of an electron.
