Which Part of the Atom Has a Positive Charge? Quick Answer
The part of the atom that has a positive charge is the proton. Protons are located in the atom’s nucleus, the dense central core. The positive charge of a single proton is equal in magnitude to the negative charge of an electron, but opposite in sign.
Why the Nucleus Is Positive
An atom’s nucleus contains protons and neutrons. Protons carry a positive electric charge, while neutrons are electrically neutral. Because the nucleus holds all the protons, it has an overall positive charge Wikipedia. The electrons that orbit the nucleus are negatively charged, and in a neutral atom the number of electrons equals the number of protons, balancing the charge.
For a quick example, consider a carbon atom. A carbon atom has six protons in its nucleus. The six protons give the nucleus a net positive charge of +6 (in units of elementary charge). The six electrons orbiting the nucleus carry a total negative charge of -6, making the whole atom electrically neutral. If the carbon atom lost one electron, it would have more protons than electrons and become a positive ion (a cation).
The number of protons in the nucleus is what defines a chemical element. For instance, any atom with 11 protons is a sodium atom, and any atom with 29 protons is a copper atom Royal Society of Chemistry. More than 99.94% of an atom’s mass is contained in its nucleus, and it is the positive charge of the protons that attracts and binds the negatively charged electrons to the atom Encyclopædia Britannica.
Key Takeaways
- The proton is the subatomic particle with a positive charge.
- Protons reside in the atom’s nucleus, giving the nucleus a positive charge.
- The number of protons determines which element an atom is.
- In a neutral atom, the positive charge of the protons is exactly balanced by the negative charge of the electrons.
