The building blocks of
matter are called atoms. Yet you may be wondering what, exactly, is an
atom? Here's a look at what an atom is and some examples of atoms.
Answer: An atom
is the basic unit of an element. An atom is a form of matter which may
not be further broken down using any chemical means. A typical atom
consists of protons, neutrons and electrons.
Examples of Atoms
Any element listed on the periodic table consists of atoms. Hydrogen, helium, oxygen and uranium are examples of types of atoms.
What Are Not Atoms?
Some matter is either smaller or larger than an atom. Examples of chemical species that are not
typically considered atoms includes particles that are components of
atoms: protons, neutrons and electrons. Molecules and compounds consists
of atoms but are not themselves atoms. Examples of molecules and
compounds include salt (NaCl), water (H2O) and ethanol (CH2OH). Electrically charged atoms are called ions. They are still types of atoms. Monoatomic ions include H+ and O2-. There are also molecular ions, which are not atoms (e.g., ozone, O3-).
The Gray Area
Would
you consider a single unit of hydrogen to be an example of an atom?
Keep in mind, most hydrogen "atoms" do not have a proton, neutron and
electron. Given that the number of protons determines the identity of an
element, many scientists consider a single proton to be an atom of the
element hydrogen.
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