What is an electron?

Credit: ACS.

When it comes to electrons — one of the fundamental building blocks of all matter — there are lots of unanswered questions.

How big are they?

What are they made out of?

What … are they?

In this video we take a crack at answering the most basic, and yet perplexing, questions about some chemists’ favorite particles.

Reactions is a video series produced by the American Chemical Society and PBS Digital Studios.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress.

ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people.

As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.