Atom the nucleus defines to what chemical element the atom belongs: for example, all copper atoms contain 29 protons. The number of neutrons defines the isotope of the element. The number of electrons influences the magnetic properties of an atom. Atoms can attach to one or more other atoms by chemical bonds to form chemical compounds such as molecules. The ability of atoms to associate and dissociate is responsible for most of the physical changes observed in nature and is the subject of the discipline of chemistry. The idea that matter is made up of discrete units is a very old
The History and Adventures of an Atom idea of atoms, the ideas of Democritus—though, of course, he is also being satirical. The book was published anonymously in 1769. Smollett's authorship of the book has been disputed, but it is generally included and discussed among his works. Writing in 1821, Sir Walter Scott wrote, "The chief purpose of the work (besides that of giving the author the opportunity to raise his hand, like that of Ishmael, against every man) is to inspire a national horror of continental connexions." The History and Adventures of an Atom The History and Adventures of an Atom, by Tobias Smollett, is a novel