I understand it means that it has more protons or electrons but what does ‘charge’ actually mean? I feel like I know it but I can’t explain it.
In: Chemistry
That is the charge in terms of elementary charge.
The elementary charge is 1.6×10^-19 C, C is the unit for Coulombs.
1 A = 1 C/s, you may be familiar with amps being the measure of electrical current.
The charge of an electron is -1.6×10^-19 C or -1 *e*
The charge of a proton is 1.6×10^-19 C or 1 *e*
When an atom is missing on electron, the atom has a net charge of +1 *e*
When the atom has 2 extra electrons, the atom has a net charge of -2 *e*
Latest Answers