A atom has NO electrical charges.
However, its component protons have a positive charge and its electrons have a negative charge. Because the number of protons and electrons is equal in an atoms, it means the charges are equal and opposite, so there is no charge on an atom.
However, if an atom loses or gains electrons , then it becomes an ION . Ions have charge.
e.g. Sodium ; readily ionises(loses) an electron to becomes the sodium cation 'Na^+'+ . Similarly Chlorine ; has electrons affinity and readily gains an electron to becomes the chloride anion 'Cl^-'
NB ATOMS have No chagre. When an atom loses or gains electrons it becomes an ION ; NOT an atom.
When an atom's electrical charges are balanced, the atom is electrically neutral. This means it has an equal number of protons (positively charged) and electrons (negatively charged).
The Electrons and the Protons.
A normal carbon atom does not have an electrical charge because it has an equal number of protons (positively charged) and electrons (negatively charged). This balance in charges makes the atom neutral overall.
ANIONS example: NA+ CL- HERE NA IS +VE
If an atom has 3 positive charges (protons) and 4 negative charges (electrons), the 3 positive charges would "cancel out" 3 negative charges, with one negative charge left over. So the atom would have a charge of -1.
Electrons contain negative charges, and protons contain positive charges.
When an atom's electrical charges are balanced, the atom is electrically neutral. This means it has an equal number of protons (positively charged) and electrons (negatively charged).
explain why electrial charges flow from one atom to another
The charges were the negative charges of the electrons surrounding the nucleus of the atom.
The Electrons and the Protons.
Positive charge refers to an excess of protons in an atom, giving it a positive electrical charge. Negative charge, on the other hand, results from an excess of electrons in an atom, giving it a negative electrical charge. These charges interact differently in electrical fields, with positive charges attracting negative charges and repelling other positive charges.
The positive charges in an atom, which are derived from the positively charged protons, are located in the nucleus of an atom. The electrons, which form up in the electron cloud, are what gives this structure its negative charge.
The proton has a positive charge and the electron has a negative charge.
Helium has no net electrical charge because it has an equal number of protons and electrons. It is a neutral atom.
An atom does not have an overall electrical charge, because the positive charges in the nucleus are balanced by the negative charges in the electron cloud around the nucleus. When an atom loses or gains an electron, it is called an "ion".
For the atom: proton is positive, electron is negative, neutron is neutral.
A normal carbon atom does not have an electrical charge because it has an equal number of protons (positively charged) and electrons (negatively charged). This balance in charges makes the atom neutral overall.