electron
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Key facts
- Particle.spin
- ħ
- Particle.name
- Electron
- Particle.image
- Atomic-orbital-clouds spd m0.png
- Particle.image_size
- 280px
- Particle.caption
- Hydrogen atomic orbitals at different energy levels. The more opaque areas are where one is most likely to find an electron at any given time.
- Particle.composition
- Elementary particle
- Particle.statistics
- Fermionic
- Particle.group
- Lepton
- Particle.generation
- First
- Particle.interaction
- Weak, electromagnetic, gravity
- Particle.antiparticle
- Positron
- Particle.theorized
- Richard Laming (1838–1851),G. Johnstone Stoney (1874) and others.
Article
33 sectionsContents
- Characterization
- History
- Discovery of effect of electric force
- Discovery of two kinds of charges
- Discovery of free electrons outside matter
- Atomic theory
- Quantum mechanics
- Particle accelerators
- Confinement of individual electrons
- Classification
- Fundamental properties
- Mass
- Charge
- Angular momentum
- Structure
- Size
- Lifetime <span class="anchor" id="lifetime"></span><!-- linked from infobox -->
- Quantum properties
- Virtual particles
- Interaction
- In atoms and molecules
- Conductivity
- Relativistic effects
- Formation
- Observation
- Plasma applications
- Particle beams
- Imaging
- Other applications
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
The electron (', or ' in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle whose electric charge is negative one elementary charge. It is an elementary particle that comprises the ordinary matter that makes up the universe, along with up and down quarks.
Electrons are extremely lightweight particles. In atoms, an electron's matter wave occupies atomic orbitals around a positively charged atomic nucleus. The configuration and energy levels of an atom's electrons determine the atom's chemical properties. Electrons are bound to the nucleus to different degrees. The outermost or valence electrons are the least tightly bound and are responsible for the formation of chemical bonds between atoms to create molecules and crystals. These valence electrons also facilitate all types of chemical reactions by being transferred or shared between atoms. The inner electron shells make up the atomic core.