Are electrons bound to the nucleis?

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IAmAnthony
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I'm not questioning whether electrons exist or whether or not they have a role in chemical bonding. I'm just asking how we know the nucleis and electrons are just parts of a larger whole, aka the atom.
 
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IAmAnthony said:
I'm not questioning whether electrons exist or whether or not they have a role in chemical bonding. I'm just asking how we know the nucleis and electrons are just parts of a larger whole, aka the atom.
Welcome to PF!

The word "bound" implies they are fixed in place, which they aren't. However they are attracted to the nucleus and mostly kept in their orbitals/shells by electromagnetism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron#Atomic_theory