What if the protons and electrons of an atom are unbalanced?
Normally, the number of electrons and protons is the same, so the atom is balanced electrically. Sometimes electrons are added or removed, and the atom carries a negative or positive charge. These charged forms of an element are called ‘ions’ of the element. This change affects the way the atom reacts chemically, but does not affect the stability of the nucleus–the atom’s radioactivity.
