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Chemistry vocabulary · Atoms and the Periodic Table

Electron

Meaning in chemistry, with examples

/ɪˈlektrɒn/nounCore term

In chemistry, electron means: A tiny particle with a negative charge that moves around the nucleus of an atom. Chemical bonds and reactions are mostly about how these particles are shared or transferred.

In Turkish: elektron

How it is used

Found everywhere in chemistry: atoms gain, lose, share, donate or accept electrons. In organic and inorganic chemistry you also hear about lone pairs, unpaired electrons and electron density.

Example sentences

  1. Sodium loses one electron to form the Na⁺ ion.

  2. In water, the oxygen atom has two lone pairs of electrons.

Common collocations

  • lose an electron
  • gain an electron
  • share electrons
  • lone pair of electrons
  • electron density
  • atomThe smallest unit of an element that keeps its chemical identity. It has a tiny nucleus of protons and neutrons, with electrons moving around it.
  • ionAn atom or group of atoms that carries an electric charge because it has gained or lost electrons. Positive ones are cations and negative ones are anions.
  • valence electronAn electron in the outermost shell of an atom. These outer electrons take part in bonding and largely decide how an element reacts.
  • electron configurationThe way an atom's electrons are arranged in shells and orbitals, written for example as 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s¹ for sodium.
  • orbitalA region around the nucleus where an electron is likely to be found. Each one holds at most two electrons, and the main types are labeled s, p, d and f.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Atoms and the Periodic Table

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