The Structure of a Molecule – ACT Prep

The center of an atom is a nucleus. In the nucleus, there are 2 subatomic particles: protons (positive charge) and neutrons (neutral charge). Outside of the nucleus are electrons. The energy of an electron is in shells. An atom is a single nucleus with a positive charge surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons.
Molecules are held together by shared electron pairs (covalent bonds).