What is the overall charge of an atom?

Understand the Problem

The question is asking about the overall electric charge of an atom, which is determined by the balance of protons and electrons within the atom. A neutral atom has an equal number of protons (positively charged) and electrons (negatively charged), resulting in no overall charge.

More Information

Atoms are composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons have a positive charge, electrons have a negative charge, and neutrons have no charge. In a neutral atom, the number of protons equals the number of electrons, resulting in an overall charge of zero.

Tips

A common mistake is to consider an ion instead of a neutral atom. Ions have an overall charge because they have an unequal number of protons and electrons.

Sources

• Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table - chem.libretexts.org