Part One, The Mighty Atom:

My grandson, Kyle, likes Spiderman, a super hero of the people.  In science, the super hero is the atom, a unique building block of the universe.  The atom, while invisible to all but the most powerful scientific instruments, contains smaller unique building blocks called subatomic particles.   Subatomic particles are composed of physical matter, which is held together in the atom by energy forces.  Three subatomic particles of the atom, the proton, the neutron and the electron, and open space provide most of the physical structure of an atom.  Protons and neutrons form the central nucleus of the atom, while electrons orbit open space around the nucleus at high speeds, like planets around the Sun.

Atoms can have an equal number of protons and electrons, more electrons, or fewer electrons than protons.  Subatomic particles carry either an electrical charge, positive charges for protons, negative charges for electrons, or no electrical charge for neutrons.  Opposite electrical charges attract, positive towards negative.  Atoms can also share electrons.   

Atoms make up the elements, which contain one or more atoms with equal numbers of protons.  Examples of elements include gases (Oxygen), solids (Gold), and liquids (Mercury).  The Periodic Table of Elements lists all of the natural, and a few man-made, elements.  Atoms also make up compounds, which contain different elements bonded together.  Elements and compounds are the basis for minerals.  As elements and compounds come close to each other, they form bonds and begin to grow into a crystal lattice, in a pattern that is determined by their atomic structure and electrical charges.   

In conclusion, the atom, while tiny, gives us a universe of variety with an unknown limit of compounds.  Because of this variety, people constantly discover new minerals.

 Jim Barton

Thanks to my professors at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and my college text (Chemistry, the Central Science, 4^th Edition, Brown & LeMay) for providing the basis for this article.

Continuation of this Series of Articles:
The Mighty Atom, Part Two
The Mighty Atom, Part Three
The Mighty Atom, Part Four
The Mighty Atom, Part Five