If you are familiar with the structure of the atom, you probably know that an atom of any element consists of three types of elementary particles: protons, electrons, neutrons.Protons and neutrons combined to form the nucleus of a chemical element.Since positive charge of the proton, the nucleus is always positively charged.The electric charge of the atomic nucleus is compensated by the surrounding cloud of other elementary particles.Negatively charged electrons - this is the component atoms that stabilizes the charge of the proton.Depending on whether the number of electrons surrounding the nucleus, the element may be either electrically neutral (in the case of equal number of protons and electrons in the atom), or have a positive or negative charge (in case of shortage or excess electrons, respectively).Atom element, carrying a certain charge is called an ion.
important to remember that the number of protons is determined by the properties of elements and their position in the periodic table it.Mendeleev.Contained in the atomic nucleus neutrons have no charge.Due to the fact that the mass of the neutron and proton correlated and practically equal to each other, and the electron mass is negligible compared to them (1836 times smaller than the mass of a proton), the number of neutrons in the nucleus of the atom plays a very important role, namely determines the stabilitysystem and the rate of decay of radioactive nuclei.The content of the neutrons is determined by isotope (variety) element.
However, due to the mismatch of the masses of the charged particles, electrons and protons have different specific charges (this value is defined as the ratio of the charge of an elementary particle to its mass).Consequently, the specific charge of the proton is equal to 9.578756 (27) · 107 cells / kg against -1.758820088 (39) × 1011 of the electron.Due to the high value of the specific charge of free protons can not exist in liquid media, they lend themselves to hydration.
mass of the proton and the charge - are specific values that were able to establish at the beginning of the last century.Who of the scientists did it - one of the greatest - the opening of the twentieth century?Even in 1913, Rutherford, based on the fact that the masses of all known chemical elements of the mass of a hydrogen atom in a whole number of times, suggested that the nucleus of the hydrogen atom is included in the nucleus of an atom of any element.Later Rutherford conducted experiments in which he studied the interaction of the nuclei of the nitrogen atom with alpha particles.As a result of the experiment of the atomic nucleus flew particles that Rutherford named "Proton" (from the Greek word "protos" - the first), and suggested that it is the nucleus of the hydrogen atom.The assumption has been proven experimentally in the re-run of the scientific expertise in the cloud chamber.
The same Rutherford in 1920, it was hypothesized the existence of a particle in the atomic nucleus, the mass of which is equal to the mass of a proton, but carries the no electric charge.However, most find this particle Rutherford failed.But in 1932 his pupil Chadwick experimentally proved the existence of neutrons in the atomic nucleus - a particle, as predicted by Rutherford, roughly equal in mass to the proton.Detect neutrons was difficult because they have no electrical charge and, accordingly, does not interact with other nuclei.The absence of such a charge is due to properties of the neutron as a very high penetrating power.
Protons and neutrons in the atomic nucleus are linked very strong interaction.Now physics converge on the idea that these two elementary nuclear particles very similar to each other.Thus, they have equal spins and nuclear forces act on them are absolutely identical.The only difference - the positive charge of the proton, the neutron also has no charge.However, since the electric charge in nuclear interactions do not matter, it can only be regarded as a kind of mark of the proton.If you deprive a proton electric charge, he will lose his individuality.
