The document discusses the historical discovery of the internal structure of the atom. It notes that protons and neutrons have similar mass while electrons are much lighter, and that protons and electrons have equal but opposite charges while neutrons have no charge. The text then provides an example of analyzing the composition of a neutral boron-10 atom in terms of its protons, neutrons, and electrons. Finally, it states that chemical reactions involve electron transfer or sharing between atoms, so an element's chemical properties depend on the number of electrons in its atoms.