Proton

In physics, the proton (Greek language [1] proton = first) is a subatomic particle [2] with an electric charge of one positive fundamental unit (1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ coulomb) and a mass of 938.3 MeV/c² (1.6726 × 10⁻²⁷ kg), or about 1836 times the mass of an electron. The proton is observed to be stable [3], with a lower limit on its half-life [4] of about 10³⁵ years, although some theories predict that the proton may decay [5].

In chemistry [6] and biochemistry [7], the proton is thought of as the hydrogen [8] ion [9], denoted H⁺. In this context, a proton donor is an acid [10] and a proton acceptor a base [11] (see acid-base reaction theories) [12].

See also

• Proton [13]
• Neutron

External links

• Particle Data Group