Science

Atoms

Ellen Noll

What is an Atom?

• An atom is the smallest unit of ordinary matter that forms a chemical element.

• Every solid liquid, gas and plasma is composed of neutralized or ionized atoms.

• Atoms are extremely small

Atoms are made up of

Protons

Electrons

Neutrons

Multiple Choice

What element does not make up an atom?

• Neutron

• Hydrogen

• Proton

• Electron

Atom under an electron microscope

Atoms in different states

• Liquid- particles flow around each other

• Gas- particles are very spaced out and move quickly

• Solid- atoms are tightly packed together

Multiple Choice

What state is the atom in from he previous picture?

• solid

• liquid

• gas

An electron microscope is used to look at atoms

The first electron microscope was invented in 1931 by Ernst Ruska

October 21, 2020

• Cryo–electron microscopy reveals the atomic details of apoferritin, a hollow, spherically shaped protein complex that stores iron.

• Now, for the first time, scientists have sharpened cryo-EM’s resolution to the atomic level, allowing them to pinpoint the positions of individual atoms in a variety of proteins at a resolution that rivals x-ray crystallography’s.

Gold atoms under microscope

Gold atoms from a less zoomed in view