Electron

Electron
Electrons are the negatively charged particles of atoms. Together, all of the electrons of an atom create a negative charge that balances the positive charge of the protons in the atomic nucleus. Electrons are extremely small compared to all of the other parts of the atom. The mass of an electron is almost 1,000 times smaller than the mass of a proton.


Electrons play a major role in many chemical bonds. There is one type of bonding called electrovalent bonding (ionic) where an ion from one atom is transferred to another atom. It is an even trade, creating two ions. The second type of bonding is called covalent bonding.