Final answer:
An electron is indeed a subatomic particle which is elementary and has no substructure unlike protons, and exhibits particle-wave duality as per quantum mechanics.
Step-by-step explanation:
Yes, an electron is a subatomic particle with a fundamental role in chemistry and physics. Unlike protons, which have a substructure made of quarks, electrons appear to have no substructure and are considered elementary particles. Furthermore, electrons exhibit a dual nature in that they demonstrate properties of both particles and waves, a concept rooted in quantum mechanics. This wave-particle duality is unique to the quantum world and is not observed in the macroscopic world of larger, directly observable objects. Electrons carry a unitary charge, which is negative, as opposed to the fractional charges carried by substructures like quarks.
The electron, represented with the symbol e and a negative superscript, was the first subatomic particle to be discovered. It is one of the three main subatomic particles that constitute all atoms, along with protons and neutrons. While protons (symbol p) have a positive charge, neutrons (symbol n or n°) have no charge and are neutral. The exploration of such particles is essential for understanding the nature of atoms and the strong nuclear force that holds protons and neutrons together in the nucleus.