Relative Atomic Charge

Key Stage 4

Meaning

Relative Atomic Charge is the charge of a particle compared to the charge of a single proton.

About Relative Atomic Charge

Ions, nuclei and subatomic particles have extremely small charges such as the proton (1.6x10^-19Coulombs) so instead of stating the charge in Coulombs it is compared to the charge of a proton.

A table showing the relative mass and relative charge of the proton, neutron and electron.

The charge on an ion is shown at the top right of the element symbol:

Atom	Ion
A Lithium ion has 3 protons and 2 electrons so it has a positive charge. It now has a full Outer Shell.
A Fluorine atom has 9 protons and 10 electrons so it is negative charge. It now has a full Outer Shell.