WANI Dictionary

Atom

Atoms are chemically inseparable building blocks of all things. They consist of three basic particles: protons, electrons, and neutrons.

Positivly charged protons (p⁺) and uncharged neutrons consist of the core of atoms, while negatively charged electrons (e^–) surround the core.

Definitions in the literature

• ... atoms, which are fundamental units of matter – the building block of all substances [1].
• The smallest components of an element that have all of the properties of the element [2].