When building an atom, pay close attention to the particles' electrical charges. Protons have a charge of +1. Electrons have a charge of -1. Neutrons are neutral, as its name implies. A stable ...

A silicon atom has four electrons in its outer shell and bonds tightly with four surrounding silicon atoms creating a crystal matrix with eight electrons in the outer shells. However, phosphorus ...

Each atom then has a complete outer shell of electrons. The slideshow shows how a covalent bond forms between a hydrogen atom and a chlorine atom, making hydrogen chloride. A simple molecule ...

Thus when an atom absorbs or gives off energy (as in ... Atoms with less than the maximum number in their outer shells are less stable than those with "full" outer shells. Elements that have ...

Remember that for the metal elements in groups 1, 2, and 3 the charge on the ion can be deduced by how many outer shell electrons there were in the neutral atom. Similarly, the non-metal elements ...