My structural exploration process is really tortuous. A long time ago, a man named Dalton called me an inseparable solid sphere. I was really surprised. Then a man named Thomson found the electrons in my body and compared me to a big watermelon. I am in a hurry. Why hasn't anyone found the most important thing in me? Finally, Rutherford discovered the nucleus in my body and the protons and neutrons that make up the electron nucleus, and the mystery of my life was finally solved!
Actually, I'm uncharged. My number of electrons equals the number of protons. Each electron and proton has a negative charge and a positive charge respectively, so the charges cancel each other out and I am not charged. Although my nucleus is small, it is made up of protons and neutrons with great mass, so the number of protons and neutrons determines my mass, and the number of protons also determines my kind.
Although I am small, I can't be underestimated. I can form molecules first and then matter. For example, the most common water is composed of water molecules, each of which is composed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. In the final analysis, the composition of water is indispensable to our atoms. Also, I can directly form substances, such as gold and diamonds. Gold is made up of gold atoms, while diamonds are made up of carbon atoms. Everything so expensive is made up of our atoms. Do you think my value is much higher?
Once I accidentally entered the chemistry laboratory of a school, and then threw away some of my electrons in a daze, and I became a positively charged cation! I am no longer an electrically neutral atom, and my number of protons is no longer equal to the number of electrons. My heart was very uncomfortable, and the freshness and curiosity that began to become ions disappeared without a trace. I'm sad. I'm not myself anymore. Fortunately, another negatively charged anion formed a new compound with me, which somewhat alleviated my sense of loss.
However, I still miss my life as a small atom!