electron

Also known as electrons, e−, β−

OverviewAI-generated

The electron is a subatomic particle with an electric charge of -1. It possesses a spin quantum number of 0.5 and a parity quantum number of 1. Its mass is 0.51099895, and its magnetic moment is 1.00115965218059. The g-factor for the electron is -2.00231930436256.

The electron was discovered in 1897. It is assigned the Monte Carlo Particle Number "11". The subject is categorized under the Commons category "Electrons". It is referenced by 3,237 other encyclopedia articles. In PubMed, the query for electron yields a count of 1075229.

Synthesized by Vinony from 13 facts across 3 sources: Wikidata, PubMed, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

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.
Particle.discovered: J. J. Thomson (1897)
Particle.symbol: ,
Particle.mass: []−1 Da
Particle.electric_charge: −
Particle.mean_lifetime: > (theoretically stable)

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

1,075,229 papers

Electron Transfer Beyond the Outer Membrane: Putting Electrons to Rest.ReviewAnnual review of microbiology · 2023Gralnick JA, Bond DRDOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-032221-023725
Microbial electron uptake in microbial electrosynthesis: a mini-review.ReviewJournal of industrial microbiology & biotechnology · 2019Karthikeyan R, Singh R, Bose ADOI: 10.1007/s10295-019-02166-6
Complex II ambiguities-FADH(2) in the electron transfer system.ReviewThe Journal of biological chemistry · 2024Gnaiger EDOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105470
Energetics, electron uptake mechanisms and limitations of electroautotrophs growing on biocathodes - A review.ReviewBioresource technology · 2021Massazza D, Robledo AJ, Rodriguez Simón CN et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125893
Molecular Mechanisms of Microbial Extracellular Electron Transfer: The Importance of Multiheme Cytochromes.ReviewFrontiers in bioscience (Landmark edition) · 2022Paquete CM, Morgado L, Salgueiro CA et al.DOI: 10.31083/j.fbl2706174
Reductive electron transfer and transport of excess electrons in DNA.ReviewAngewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) · 2003Wagenknecht HADOI: 10.1002/anie.200301629
The electron's spin and molecular chirality - how are they related and how do they affect life processes?ReviewChemical Society reviews · 2016Michaeli K, Kantor-Uriel N, Naaman R et al.DOI: 10.1039/c6cs00369a
Novel Outlook in Microbial Ecology: Nonmutualistic Interspecies Electron Transfer.ReviewTrends in microbiology · 2020Moscoviz R, Quéméner ED, Trably E et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2020.01.008

via PubMed

~63 min read

Encyclopedic overview

33 sections

Contents

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>
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.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “electron” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.