Atoms are not mostly empty space because there is no such thing as purely empty space. Rather, space is filled with a wide variety of particles and fields. Even if we ignore every kind of field and particle except electrons, protons and neutrons, we find that atoms are still not empty.

All atoms have at least one proton in their core, and the number of protons determines which kind of element an atom is. For example, an oxygen atom has 8 protons.

The outer volume of the atom (which means most of the atom) is occupied by electrons. An electron itself is small (its size is not known, but we do know that it is smaller than a nucleus), but it occupies the space of the atom by constantly whirling around in a kind of orbit around the nucleus.

A hydrogen atom is about 99.9999999999996% empty space. Put another way, if a hydrogen atom were the size of the earth, the proton at its center would be about 200 meters (600 feet) across.

The nerve cells that make up our body send signals to our brain that tell us that we are physically touching something. When the touch is merely given to us by our electron’s interaction, the electromagnetic field permeating spacetime (the medium electron waves propagate through).

In fact, even the most powerful light-focusing microscopes can’t visualise single atoms. What makes an object visible is the way it deflects visible light waves. Atoms are so much smaller than the wavelength of visible light that the two don’t really interact. To put it another way, atoms are invisible to light itself.

Structure: Our current model of the atom can be broken down into three constituents parts – protons, neutron, and electrons. Each of these parts has an associated charge, with protons carrying a positive charge, electrons having a negative charge, and neutrons possessing no net charge.

What is a cation? A cation has more protons than electrons, consequently giving it a net positive charge. The number of electrons lost, and so the charge of the ion, is indicated after the chemical symbol, e.g. silver (Ag) loses one electron to become Ag+, whilst zinc (Zn) loses two electrons to become Zn2+.

Without protons atoms cannot be formed. Atoms are the smallest form that an element can exist. Protons dictate how many electrons each atom has on a one to one basis. The number of electrons gives each element its own chemical properties.

Electrically neutral atoms can exist with no electrons. So an atom can’t have no electrons as it, by definition has protons and to be neutral must have electrons. You can have an ion, such as a hydrogen ion (you might call it a proton).

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