Material An Atomic Description of Silicon.
All matter is composed of atoms.
Atoms, in turn, are composed of positively charged protons, negatively charged electrons, and neutral neutrons. The much lighter electrons orbit the nucleus at very high velocities. Although the atom is built from oppositely charged particles, its overall charge is neutral because it contains an equal number of positive protons and negative electrons. The electrons farthest from the nucleus interact with those of neighboring atoms to determine the way solid structures are formed. The silicon atom has 14 electrons, but their natural orbital arrangement allows only the outer four of these to be given to, accepted from, or shared with other atoms.