The uncertain location of electrons - George Zaidan and Charles Morton

飄忽不定的電子 - George Zaidan & Charles Morton

譯者: 瑞文Eleven 林Lim 審譯者: Adrienne Lin

You probably know that all stuff is made up of atoms

你或許知道所有的物質皆由原子組成，

and that an atom

而原子

is a really, really, really, really tiny particle.

真的非常、非常、非常的微小。

Every atom has a core,

每一個原子都有一個原子核，

which is made up of at least one

由至少一個帶正電的粒子組成，

positively charged particle

called a proton,

這種正電粒子叫做質子，

and in most cases,

在大多數情況下，

some number of neutral particles called neutrons.

核內還有一些中性粒子稱為中子。

That core is surrounded

by negatively charged particles called electrons.

原子核被稱為帶負電的電子包圍。

The identity of an atom is determined

一個原子的特性

only by the number of protons in its nucleus.

僅由原子核中質子的數量來決定。

Hydrogen is hydrogen because it has just one proton,

核內只有一個質子的就是氫，

carbon is carbon because it has six,

有6個質子就是碳，

gold is gold because it has 79,

金原子核則擁有79個質子，

and so on.

諸如此類的還有很多。

Indulge me in a momentary tangent.

請容我講些題外話：

How do we know about atomic structure?

我們如何得知道原子的結構呢？

We can't see protons, neutrons, or electrons.

質子、中子或電子都是 肉眼看不見的東西。

So, we do a bunch of experiments

所以，我們先進行許多實驗，

and develop a model for what we think is there.

然後建構出我們認為合宜的原子模型，

Then we do some more experiments

然後再進行更多的實驗，

and see if they agree with the model.

來看看實際情況是否符合模型。

If they do, great.

如果是的話最好。

If they don't, it might be time for a new model.

如果不是， 那就再建立一個新模型。

We've had lots of very different models for atoms

自西元前400年的德謨克利特以來，

since Democritus in 400 BC,

我們曾有過不同的原子模型，

and there will almost certainly

而且將來肯定會有更多的模型出現。

be many more to come.

Okay, tangent over.

好了，言歸正傳。

The cores of atoms tend to stick together,

原子核的粒子總是緊緊粘在一起，

but electrons are free to move,

但電子卻可以自由移動，

and this is why chemists love electrons.

這就是化學家熱愛電子的原因。

If we could marry them,

如果我們可以和它們結婚，

we probably would.

我們真的會這樣做。

But electrons are weird.

但是電子很奇怪，

They appear to behave either as particles,

它們的表現既像是粒子，

like little baseballs,

像是棒球，

or as waves, like water waves,

也像是波，水一般的波浪。

depending on the experiment that we perform.

在不同的實驗中表現出相異的特性。

One of the weirdest things about electrons

關於電子最詭異的事情是，

is that we can't exactly say where they are.

我們無法確認它們的所在位置。

It's not that we don't have the equipment,

這並不是說我們沒有適當的設備，

it's that this uncertainty

而是這種不確定性

is part of our model of the electron.

就是電子模型的一部分特性。

So, we can't pinpoint them, fine.

所以，好吧！我們不能精確定位它們，

But we can say there's a certain probability

但我們可以說，

在原子核周圍的某一特定區域中，

of finding an electron in a given space

around the nucleus.

找到一個電子的機率是多少。

And that means that we can ask the following question:

這就表示我們能提出以下的問題：

If we drew a shape around the nucleus

如果我們繞原子核畫一個形狀，

such that we would be 95% sure

使得我們有95％的把握，

of finding a given electron within that shape,

在這個形狀中找到一個特定的電子，

what would it look like?

它會是什麼樣的形狀呢？

Here are a few of these shapes.

這裡有幾個形狀，

Chemists call them orbitals,

化學家們稱之為軌域。

and what each one looks like

決定每個軌域形狀的因素之一

depends on, among other things,

是它們所擁有的能量。

how much energy it has.

The more energy an orbital has,

軌域的能量越高，

the farther most of its density is

其主要部分就離原子核越遠。

from the nucleus.

By they way, why did we pick 95%

順便提一下，

為什麼我們說95% 而不是100%的把握呢？

and not 100%?

Well, that's another quirk

好吧，這是我們電子模型 另一個比較奇特的地方，

of our model of the electron.

Past a certain distance from the nucleus,

從距離原子核一定距離開始，

the probability of finding an electron

發現電子的機率

starts to decrease

就開始隨著距離增加而下降，

more or less exponentially,

差不多呈現指數衰減，

which means that while it will approach zero,

這代表機率會越來越接近零，

it'll never actually hit zero.

但事實上永遠不會達到零。

So, in every atom,

所以，每一個原子中，

there is some small, but non-zero, probability

總有一些很小，但是不為零的可能性，

that for a very, very short period of time,

於很短很短的時段中，

one of its electrons

可能其中有一個電子

is at the other end of the known universe.

正位於宇宙的另一端。

But mostly electrons stay close to their nucleus

但是絕大部分時間， 電子都距離原子核很近，

as clouds of negative charged density

呈現出帶負電的電子雲，

that shift and move with time.

電子雲會隨著時間改變位置。

How electrons from one atom

一個原子的電子如何與

interact with electrons from another

另一個原子的電子發生互相作用，

determines almost everything.

幾乎決定了一切化學反應的性質。

Atoms can give up their electrons,

原子可以放棄自己的電子，

surrendering them to other atoms,

把它們給其他原子，

or they can share electrons.

或者與其他原子共用電子。

And the dynamics of this social network

而這個社交網路的動態

are what make chemistry interesting.

使化學變得很有趣。

From plain old rocks

從普通的舊石頭

to the beautiful complexity of life,

到美好而複雜的生命，

the nature of everything we see,

自然界我們一切見到、

hear,

聽到、聞到、

smell, taste, touch, and even feel

品嘗到、觸摸到，

甚至是能感覺到的，

is determined at the atomic level.

都是由原子層面所決定。