The electron is a subatomic particle. In an atom the electrons surround the nucleus of protons and neutrons in an electron configuration. The word electron was coined in 1894 and is derived from the term electric, whose ultimate origin is the Greek word 'ηλεκτρον, meaning amber. Electrostatic charge can be generated by rubbing the amber with the pelt of an animal e.g. a cat and has been done so while analysing elementary charge for the first time. The ending -on, shared by most subatomic particles, was used in analogy to the word ion.
Electrons have an electrical charge, and produce an electric current when they move; all electricity is created by moving electrons. Because the quantum mechanical interactions of electrons determine how atoms interact with each other, electrons determine the chemical properties of elements and play a fundamental part in chemistry.
Source: Wikipedia
