Published in January, 2009: Demand Media, Inc.

Most basic science classes cover the existence and function of protons. The tiny atomic nucleic component known as the proton has been attributed with properties of positive charge, but how has science determined this?

History

Before confirmation of the proton’s existence in 1918 by Ernest Rutherford, the scientific community generally viewed the theory of protons with great speculation, ridiculing science enthusiasts who pursued the idea. Before Ernest Rutherford’s work, it was Eugene Goldstein who, through extensive experimentation, believed he could prove the existence of the proton. Unfortunately, Goldstein’s work was never completed, leaving the field open for Rutherford’s experiments in 1918.

Significance

Protons have been attributed with having a positive charge as a result of extensive experiments using the laws of attraction and repulsion. When two objects are charged in a similar fashion, either positively or negatively, the objects will repel each other, with the converse effect when the objects have opposing charges. When the electrons of an object’s atoms are transferred to the atoms another object, leaving only protons and/or neutrons in the object’s atomic nucleus, the object takes on the characteristics of positive charge, being suddenly attracted to objects of negative charge until the negative electrons are regained. By isolating the protons in these experiments, scientists have been able to effectively determine that they were the source of the material’s positive charge.

Expert Insight

The proton is now known to be one of two core components in every nucleus along with the neutron, which has neither a positive nor a negative charge. The proton carries a charge of one unit, which can offset the opposing charge of a single electron, which has a negative charge of one unit, as it orbits the atom’s nucleus. This is why an atom gains a negative charge when it has picked up more electrons than there are protons in the nucleus, even though the number of neutrons seems to make no difference.

Features

The proton is the only nucleic component that can be found in every nucleus. The simplest atom, basic hydrogen, contains only a single proton at the nucleus with no accompanying neutrons. This is why the hydrogen atom has the lightest atomic weight, which is measured by the amount of protons and neutrons combined.

Types

It is now known that positively charged protons have an unstable counterpart known as antiprotons, Antiprotons actually carry a negative charge as well as an opposite magnetic momentum, or spin, to the proton. The exact opposite nature of antiprotons to protons causes the two particles to violently annihilate each other when in close proximity. The result of this annihilation is a large explosion which releases a significant amount of energy.