Question

What is meant by the statement “Atoms are electrically neutral”?

Answer 1

Hint: Electrically neutral means there is no overall charge in the atom or we can say that the overall charge on the atom is zero. This can be related to the particles present in the atom, i.e., electrons, neutrons, and protons.

Complete answer:
The given statement is "Atoms are electrically neutral" which says that there is no charge on the atom. Electrically neutral means there is no overall charge in the atom or we can say that the overall charge on the atom is zero. We know that there are many sub-particles inside the atom and these particles have some charge, so for the atoms to be electrically neutral, then the charges must be equal and should cancel each other.
This can be related to the particles present in the atom, i.e., electrons, neutrons, and protons. These have different charges, i.e., the charge on the electron is one unit negative, the charge on the neutron is 0, and the charge on the proton is one unit positive. One unit negative charge is equal to $-1.602\text{ x 1}{{\text{0}}^{-19}}$C and one unit positive charge is equal to $1.602\text{ x 1}{{\text{0}}^{-19}}$C.
So, the number of protons present in the nucleus of the atom is always equal to the number of electrons in the orbits of the atoms, therefore, all the charges are canceled out which makes the atom electrically neutral. For example, the number of electrons in a sodium atom is 11 and the number of protons is also 11, so the sodium atom is neutral.

Note:
These atoms are converted into ions by either gain of electron or loss of an electron, when the electrons are gained we get negative ions (anion) and when electrons are lost we get positive ions (cation).