Chemistry

Book 1B
Topic 2 Microscopic World I

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Content

5.1 What are atoms?

5.2 How to classify elements?
5.3 Symbols for elements
5.4 A simple model of atomic structure
5.5 Atomic number – identification of an
element
5.6 Mass number

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Content

5.7 Isotopes
5.8 Relative masses of atoms
5.9 The arrangements of electrons in
atoms
Key terms
Summary
Unit Exercise

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.1 What are atoms? (p. 2)

w Elements are the basic building blocks of matter.
w Elements are made up of atoms.
w An atom (原子) is the smallest particle of an element that
still has its chemical properties.
w All the atoms of an element are of the same type. The
atoms of different elements are different.

Aluminium is an element made up of aluminium atoms (left) while

copper is an element made up of copper atoms (right)

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.2 How to classify elements? (p. 2)

Elements

Metals Metalloids Non-metals

Metals (金屬) and Non-metals (非金屬)

Calcium is a metal Sulphur is a non-metal

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.2 How to classify elements? (p. 2)

w Copper is a metal. It is a very good electrical conductor
(導電體) and thermal conductor (導熱體).

Copper can be used to make electric

wires and cooking utensils

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.2 How to classify elements? (p. 3)

w Most metals are solids at room temperature and pressure.

malleable (可展的)
ductile (可延的)

Typical properties of metals

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.2 How to classify elements? (p. 3)

w Non-metals generally exist as gases and solids at room
temperature and pressure.

brittle (易碎)

Typical properties of non-metals

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.2 How to classify elements? (p. 4)

Metalloids
w Silicon has some properties similar to those of metals and
some properties similar to those of non-metals.
w It belongs to a group called metalloids (類金屬).
Some properties of silicon
Property Silicon (a metalloid)
State (狀態) at room temperature solid
and pressure
Melting and boiling point high
Appearance its crystalline form is shiny
Electrical conductivity semi-conductor (半導體)
Effect of bending and brittle
hammering

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.2 How to classify elements? (p. 4)

Practice 5.1
Consider the information of two elements in the table. Classify each element
into a metal or a non-metal. Explain your choice.

Hydrogen is a non-metal. It has low melting point

and boiling point. It cannot conduct electricity.

Magnesium is a metal. It has high melting point and

boiling point. It can conduct electricity.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.3 Symbols for elements (p. 5)

w Chemists use symbols (符號) to represent elements.
Symbols for some common elements
Element Symbol Element Symbol Element Symbol
(first letter (two letters (derived
of from from
the name) the name) the Latin
name)
Carbon C Aluminium Al Copper Cu
Fluorine F Calcium Ca Iron Fe
Nitrogen N Helium He Lead Pb
Oxygen O Chlorine Cl Potassium K
Sulphur S Magnesium Mg Sodium Na
Iodine I Zinc Zn

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.3 Symbols for elements (p. 5)

Practice 5.2
Complete the following table.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.4 A simple model of atomic structure (p. 6)

w An atom consists of three types of subatomic particles
(次原子粒子): protons (質子), neutrons (中子) and
electrons (電子).

A simple model of
an atom
w The nucleus (原子核) contains protons and neutrons.
w A cloud of rapidly moving electrons surrounds the nucleus.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.4 A simple model of atomic structure (p. 7)

Data of subatomic particles

Relative Position in
Particle Symbol Relative mass
charge atom

Proton p 1 +1 in nucleus

Neutron n 1 0 in nucleus

1 spinning
Electron e– –1 around
1 836 nucleus

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.4 A simple model of atomic structure (p. 8)

In a neutral atom, number of protons = number of

electrons

w Neutrons can be thought of as providing the glue that

holds the nucleus together despite the electrostatic
repulsion between its positively charged protons.
w Most atoms contain the same number of, or slightly more,
neutrons than protons.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.4 A simple model of atomic structure (p. 8)

Practice 5.3
Explain why an atom has no overall charges.

The relative charges of a proton and an electron are +1 and –1 respectively.

The number of protons in an atom is equal to the number of elect

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.5 Atomic number – identification of an

element (p. 11)

Atomic number (原子序) of an element

= number of protons in an atom of that element

w The atomic number tells you:

ü what the element;
ü the number of electrons in a neutral atom — the
number of electrons must equal the number of protons.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.6 Mass number (p. 11)

Mass number (質量數)

= number of protons + number of neutrons

Number of neutrons in an atom

= mass number - atomic number

Structure of a
hydrogen atom and
a lithium atom

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.6 Mass number (p. 13)

The convention for showing the atomic number and mass number of a
chlorine atom

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.6 Mass number (p. 13)

Practice 5.4
1 Work out the mass number, atomic number and the number of subatomic
particles of each atom below.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.6 Mass number (p. 13)

2 List the mass number and atomic number for the atoms below using the
convention shown in Fig. 5.13.
a) An atom of sulphur (S) with 16 protons, 16 neutrons and 16 electrons.

b) An atom of argon (Ar) with 18 protons, 22 neutrons and 18 electrons.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.7 Isotopes (p. 14)

Isotopes (同位素) are different atoms of an element
which have the same number of protons but a different
number of neutrons.

The two isotopes of boron

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.7 Isotopes (p. 14)

w Different masses
Element Name of isotope Symbol
w Identical chemical
1
Protium 1H
properties 2
Hydrogen Deuterium 1H

w Different physical Tritium

3
1H

properties Carbon-12 12
6 C

w Same numbers of Carbon Carbon-13 13

6 C

Carbon-14 14
protons and electrons, 6 C

but different numbers

of neutrons

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.7 Isotopes (p. 14)

Practice 5.5
1 Consider the following atoms, W, X, Y and Z.

a) Which TWO of them are isotopes of the same element?

b) Which TWO of them have the same mass number?

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.7 Isotopes (p. 14)

2 The symbols below represent some isotopes of oxygen.

State how the isotopes are similar and how they are different, in terms of
protons, neutrons and electrons.

The isotopes have the same number of protons and electrons, but different
numbers of neutrons.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.8 Relative masses of atoms (p. 16)

1
w A hydrogen atom ( H ) is 1
1
12
as heavy as a carbon-12 ( 126 C )

atom. Its relative isotopic mass = 1

The relative isotopic mass (相對同位素質量) of a

particular isotope of an element is the mass of an
1
atom of the isotope relative to of the mass of
12
a carbon-12 atom.
i.e. relative isotopic mass of an isotope
mass of one atom of the isotope
=
1 x mass of one carbon-12 atom
12

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.8 Relative masses of atoms (p. 16)

Relative isotopic mass

%
w A helium atom ( 42 He ) is &' of the mass of a
12
carbon-12 ( 6 C ) atom. Its relative isotopic mass = 4

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.8 Relative masses of atoms (p. 17)

Relative atomic mass
w The contribution made by an isotope to the relative atomic
mass (相對原子質量) of an element depends on:

ü the relative isotopic mass of each isotope; and

ü the relative abundance (相對豐度) of each isotope.
The relative atomic mass of an element is the weighted
mean mass of its atom, taking into account the relative
abundance of each isotope present in a naturally
1
occurring sample of the element, relative to
12
of the mass of a carbon-12 atom.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.8 Relative masses of atoms (p. 18)

Q (Example 5.1)
Neon occurs naturally in three isotopes. The relative abundance
of each isotope is shown below.

What is the relative atomic mass of neon?

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.8 Relative masses of atoms (p. 18)

A
Suppose there are 100 neon atoms. You would have 90.48
atoms of 20Ne, 0.27 atom of 21Ne and 9.25 atoms of 22Ne.

Relative atomic mass of neon =

∴ the relative atomic mass of neon is

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.8 Relative masses of atoms (p. 18)

Q (Example 5.2)
Boron has two isotopes: 10B and 11B. The relative atomic mass
of B is 10.8. What is the relative abundance of the 10B isotope?
A
Let the relative abundance of 10B isotope and 11B isotope be
y% and (100 – y)% respectively.
Relative atomic mass of boron 10.8 =

∴ the relative abundance of the 10B isotope is

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.8 Relative masses of atoms (p. 18)

Practice 5.6
1 The graph below shows the relative abundance of three isotopes of
magnesium. Calculate the relative atomic mass of magnesium.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.8 Relative masses of atoms (p. 18)

2 The atomic mass of copper is 63.5. Calculate the relative abundance of the
two copper isotopes with relative isotopic masses of 63 and 65.

[63y+ 65(100-y)]/100 = 63.5

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.9 The arrangements of electrons in atoms

(p. 20) Electrons move around the nucleus
Ref.
w Niels Bohr, a Danish scientist, suggested that electrons
move around the nucleus in circular orbits (軌道) called
shells (電子層).
w Each shell is given a number (n).

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.9 The arrangements of electrons in atoms

(p. 20)
w The maximum number of electrons a certain shell can hold
is given by the expression of 2n2.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.9 The arrangements of electrons in atoms

(p. 21)
w The way in which electrons are arranged in an atom is
called its electronic arrangement (電子排佈).
w We can represent the electronic arrangement of an atom by
an electron diagram (電子圖).
w The following guidelines will apply when filling electrons into
shells:
ü electrons are filled into shells starting from the first shell
which is closest to the nucleus;
ü start filling the next shell when one shell is full.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.9 The arrangements of electrons in atoms

(p. 21) Electronic arrangements and
electron diagrams of atoms Ref.

Electron diagrams of a hydrogen atom and a helium atom

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.9 The arrangements of electrons in atoms

(p. 21)
w To fill a chlorine atom’s shells:
• 2 electrons fill the first shell (leaving 15 electrons);
• 8 electrons fill the second shell (leaving 7 electrons);
• 7 electrons fill the third shell.

An electron diagram of a chlorine atom

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.9 The arrangements of electrons in atoms

(p. 21)

Electron diagrams of a potassium atom and a calcium atom

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.9 The arrangements of electrons in atoms

(p. 21)

w Potassium and calcium atoms:

ü the third shell can hold 18 electrons

ü only 8 electrons go into the third shell

ü remaining go into the fourth shell

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.9 The arrangements of electrons in atoms

(p. 22)
Electronic arrangements of atoms of the first 20 elements
Atomic Number of electrons in Electronic
Element
number 1st shell 2nd shell 3rd shell 4th shell arrangement
1 hydrogen 1 1
2
2 helium 2 (the first shell
is full)
3 lithium 2 1 2,1
4 beryllium 2 2 2,2
5 boron 2 3 2,3
6 carbon 2 4 2,4
7 nitrogen 2 5 2,5

Continued on next page

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.9 The arrangements of electrons in atoms

(p. 22)
Electronic arrangements of atoms of the first 20 elements
Atomic Number of electrons in Electronic
Element
number 1st shell 2nd shell 3rd shell 4th shell arrangement
8 Oxygen 2 6 2,6
9 Fluorine 2 7 2,7
2,8
10 Neon 2 8 (the second
shell is full)
11 Sodium 2 8 1 2,8,1
12 Magnesium 2 8 2 2,8,2
13 Aluminium 2 8 3 2,8,3
14 Silicon 2 8 4 2,8,4

Continued on next page

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.9 The arrangements of electrons in atoms

(p. 22)
Electronic arrangements of atoms of the first 20 elements
Atomic Number of electrons in Electronic
Element
number 1st shell 2nd shell 3rd shell 4th shell arrangement
15 Phosphorus 2 8 5 2,8,5
16 Sulphur 2 8 6 2,8,6
17 Chlorine 2 8 7 2,8,7
18 Argon 2 8 8 2,8,8
19 Potassium 2 8 8 1 2,8,8,1
20 Calcium 2 8 8 2 2,8,8,2

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.9 The arrangements of electrons in atoms

(p. 22)
Practice 5.7
1 Complete the table below.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

5.9 The arrangements of electrons in atoms

(p. 22)
2 The diagram shown represents the structure
of an atom of isotope A of an element.

a) Name the particles X, Y and Z.

b) Give the atomic number and mass number of the atom.

c) This element has another isotope, B, with a mass number one less than
isotope A. State the composition of the nucleus of an atom of isotope B.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Key terms (p. 24)

atom 原子 subatomic 次原子粒子
particle
metal 金屬 proton 質子
non-metal 非金屬 neutron 中子
electrical conductor 導電體 electron 電子
thermal conductor 導熱體 nucleus 原子核

metalloid 類金屬 atomic number 原子序

semi-conductor 半導體 mass number 質量數

symbol 符號 isotope 同位素

Continued on next page

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Key terms (p. 24)

relative isotopic mass 相對同位素質量 shell 電子層
relative atomic mass 相對原子質量 electron diagram 電子圖

relative abundance 相對豐度 electronic 電子排佈

arrangement

orbit 軌道

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Summary (p. 25)

1 Elements are made up of atoms.
2 Elements can be classified into metals, metalloids and
non-metals, depending on their properties.
3 Each element has a unique chemical symbol of one or two
letters.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Summary (p. 25)

4 a) An atom consists of three types of subatomic
particles — protons, neutrons, and electrons.

In a neutral atom, number of protons = number of electrons

b) Protons and neutrons form the nucleus of an atom.
Electrons move around the nucleus.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Summary (p. 26)

5 a) All atoms of a particular element have the same
number of protons.
b) Atomic number of an element
= number of protons in an atom of that element
= number of electrons in a neutral atom of that element
6 Mass number of an atom
= number of protons + number of neutrons

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Summary (p. 26)

7 Isotopes are different atoms of an element which have
the same number of protons but a different number of
neutrons. For example, boron has two isotopes: B-10,
B-11.
8 a) The relative isotopic mass of a particular isotope of
an element is the mass of an atom of the isotope
&
relative to &' of the mass of a carbon-12 atom.
b) The relative isotopic mass of an isotope is roughly
equal to its mass number.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Summary (p. 26)

9 The relative atomic mass of an element is the weighted
mean mass of its atom, taking into account the relative
abundance of each isotope presents in a naturally
&
occurring sample of the element, relative to of the
&'
mass of a carbon-12 atom.
10 Electrons move around the nucleus in circular orbits called
shells. Each electron shell can only hold a certain number
of electrons, some examples are listed below.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 16)

Note: Questions are rated according to ascending level of difficulty
(from 1 to 5):

question targeted at level 3 and above;

question targeted at level 4 and above;
question targeted at level 5.
‘ * ’ indicates 1 mark is given for effective communication.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 27)

Part I KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
1 Complete the following concept map.

a) non-metals / metalloids
b) non-metals / metalloids
c) neutrons
d) electrons
e) atomic number
f) mass number
g) electron shells
h) electronic arrangement

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 28)

Part II MUTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
2 Which of the following statements concerning ‘atom’ is
correct?
A All atoms do not carry net charges.
B Mass is evenly distributed within an atom.
C All atoms consist of protons, neutrons and electrons.
D For all elements, atoms of the same element have
the same mass number.

(HKDSE, Paper 1A, 2015, 15)

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 28)

3 Which of the following is NOT a typical property of metals?

A They are brittle.

B They are good conductors of electricity.
C They are ductile.
D They are good conductors of heat.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 28)

4 An atom has 34 electrons and 40 neutrons. Which of the
combinations about the atom is correct?

Atomic number Mass number

A 34 40
B 34 74
C 40 74
D 40 34

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 28)

5 Which of the following statements about a neutron is
correct?

A Neutron has no electrical charges.

B Neutron is found in the nucleus of all atoms.
C Neutron weighs much less than an electron.
D Atoms of the same element must contain the same
number of neutrons.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 28)

6 Which of the following atoms contains 50 neutrons?

A /(
'%Cr
,5
B [Link]
,*
C 4*Y
*&
D %(Zr

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 28)

7 Which of the following statements about the isotopes of
an element is correct?

A They have the same mass number.

B They have the same number of neutrons in their nuclei.
C They have more protons than neutrons.
D They have the same electronic arrangement.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 28)

8 What is the difference between two atoms represented by
the symbols /(
'' Ti and /(
'4V?

A The number of electrons only

B The number of protons and electrons only
C The number of protons and neutrons only
D The number of protons, neutrons and electrons

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 28)

9 Which of the following represent a pair of isotopes?

&% &%
A 5C and .N
%( %(
B &,Ar and '(Ca
'% /'
C &'Mg and '%Cr
'(5 '(,
D ,'Pb and ,'Pb

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 28)

10 A particular element has two isotopes: 72% of mass
number 85 and 28% of mass number 87. What is the
expected range of the relative atomic mass?

A Smaller than 85
B Between 85 and 86
C Between 86 and 87
D Larger than 87

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 28)

11 Lithium (Li) has two isotopes. The relative abundance of
the isotopes is shown below.

What is the relative atomic mass of lithium?

A 3.0
B 6.5
C 6.9
D 9.5

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 29)

12 Rhenium (Re) has two naturally occurring isotopes,
185Re and 187Re. The relative atomic mass of rhenium

is 186.2. What are the abundance of these isotopes?

A 20% of 185Re and 80% of 187Re

B 40% of 185Re and 60% of 187Re
C 60% of 185Re and 40% of 187Re
D 80% of 185Re and 20% of 187Re

respectively.
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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 29)

13 Which of the following combinations represents an atom
14 of a metal?

Number Number Number

of electrons of neutrons of protons

A 14 14 14
B 15 16 15
C 18 22 18
D 19 20 19

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 29)

13 Which of the following combinations represents an atom
of a metal?

Number Number Number

of electrons of neutrons of protons

A 14 14 14
B 15 16 15
C 18 22 18
D 19 20 19

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 29)

14 The atomic number of neon is 10. How many occupied
electron shells does a neon atom contain?

A 1
B 2
C 3
D 4

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 29)

15 Which of the following are non-metals?

(1) Argon
(2) Hydrogen
(3) Silicon

A (1) and (2) only

B (1) and (3) only
C (2) and (3) only
D (1), (2) and (3)

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 29)

16 An element, X, can be represented as 87X.

Which of the following statements concerning 87X is /

are correct?

(1) The number of neutrons in an atom of X is a.

(2) The number of electrons in an atom of X is b.
(3) The relative atomic mass of X is a + b.

A (1) only
B (2) only
C (1) and (3) only
D (2) and (3) only

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 29)

17 Which of the following statements concerning a
phosphorus atom, 4&&/P, is / are correct?

(1) It contains equal numbers of protons and neutrons.

(2) It contains equal numbers of protons and electrons.
(3) It has 3 occupied electron shells.

A (1) only
B (2) only
C (1) and (3) only
D (2) and (3) only

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 30)

Part III STRUCTURED QUESTIONS
18 Complete the table below.
Element Symbol
Nitrogen
Potassium
Sodium
Zinc
Cl
Fe
He
S

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 30)

19 Atoms contain protons, neutrons and electrons.

Complete the table to show the relative mass and

relative charge of each particle and its position in an
atom.
Relative Relative Position in atom
mass charge
Proton 1 +1 in nucleus (1)
Neutron 1 0 in nucleus (1)
Electron 1 -1 spinning around (1)
1 836 nucleus

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 30)

20 Consider the data in the table below.

a) What is the state of each element at 25 °C?

b) Classify each element as a metal or a non-metal.
Explain your answer.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 30)

20 (continued)

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 30)

20 (continued)
b)

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 30)

21 The table below gives the symbols of isotopes of
atoms. Complete the table.
Atom Number of Number of Number of
protons neutrons electrons
&/ (1)
.N
4.
&.Cl (1)
5* (1)
4&Ga
,& (1)
4/Br
'4, (1)
*'U

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 31)

22 Give the names and electronic arrangements of
atoms of the elements (W, X, Y and Z) based on the
given descriptions.
Element Description Name Electronic
arrangement of atom

W Its atom has 9

protons. fluorine (2)
X Its atom has 11
electrons.
sodium (2)
Y Its atomic number
is 20.
calcium (2)
Z Its atom has three
occupied electron (2)
shells and six
outermost shell
electrons.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 31)

23 The structures of five atoms, A, B, C, D and E, are
shown below.

a) Answer the following questions about these

structures. Each structure can be used once, more
than once or not at all.
i) Which TWO structures are hydrogen atoms?
ii) Which structure represents an atom of a metal?
iii) Which structure has an atomic number of 3?
iv) Which structure has two neutrons in its nucleus?

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 31)

23 (continued)
&'
b) The structure of carbon-12 can be written 5C.

Write the structure of atom D in a similar way.

(Cambridge IGCSE, Paper 2, 0620/23, Jun. 2013, 1(a)–(b))

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 31)

24 The diagram below shows the structure of an atom of
element X.

a) What is the atomic number of this atom?

b) What is the mass number of this atom?
c) Identify element X.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 31)

24 (continued)

d) Complete the diagram to show another isotope of

element X.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 32)

25 Sulphur, atomic number 16, is found within the
Earth’s crust. Sulphur is released into the atmosphere
at times of volcanic activity.
A sample of sulphur from a volcano was analysed to
give the following composition of isotopes. The relative atomic
mass of an element is
the weighted mean
mass of its atom,
taking into account
the relative
abundance of each
a) Define the term ‘relative atomic mass’. isotope presents in a
naturally occurring
sample of the
!
element, relative to
!,
of the mass of a
carbon-12 atom. (2)
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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 32)

25 (continued)
b) Calculate the relative atomic mass of the sample
of sulphur.
Give your answer to TWO decimal places.

Relative atomic mass of sulphur

4' ×*/.('-44 ×(..5-4% ×%.''
= &((
(1)
= 32.09 (1)

(OCR Advanced Subsidiary GCE, Chem. A, F321, Jun. 2012, 1(a)–(b))

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 32)

26 Iodine has a stable isotope with a relative isotopic mass
of 127.
In 1986, a radioactive isotope of iodine, with a relative
isotopic mass of 131, was released into the atmosphere
following an explosion at a nuclear power plant in
Chernobyl.
a) Define the term ‘isotopes’.

b) Explain why the isotopes of an element has the same

chemical properties.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 32)

26 (continued)
c) Complete the table to show the number of subatomic
particles in an atom of iodine-127 and in an atom of
iodine-131.
Isotope Number of Number of Number of
protons neutrons electrons
Iodine−127 53 74 53 (1)
Iodine−131 53 78 53 (1)

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 32)

26 (continued)
d) Nuclear power stations are often proposed as
alternatives to those burning coal or petroleum.
Suggest a country or a region, because of its location,
the dangers of nuclear power may outweigh the
advantages. Explain your choice.
Any one of the following:
• Japan / New Zealand / California country at risk from
earthquake / flooding / tsunami (1)
• Italy with volcanoes (1)
• Middle eastern countries / Afghanistan / African
countries political instability / abuse of nuclear power (1)
• USA risk of hurricane / tornado (1)

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 33)

27 Zinc has four isotopes.
Isotopes are different atoms
5% 55 5. 5,
4(Zn 4(Zn 4(Zn 4(Zn of an element which have the
same number of protons but
a) Define the term ‘isotopes’. a different number of
neutrons. (1)
b) Isotopes of zinc have differences and similarities.
In terms of protons, neutrons and electrons,
i) how is 5% 55
4(Zn different from 4(Zn ?
5% 55
4(Zn and 4(Zn have different numbers of neutrons. (1)
ii) how is 5%
4(Zn similar to 55
4(Zn ?
5% 55
4(Zn and 4(Zn have the same number
of protons and electrons. (1)

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 33)

27 (continued)
The graph below shows the relative abundance of the
isotopes.

What is the relative atomic mass of zinc?

Relative atomic mass of Zn
5% ×%*.(-55 ×',.(-5. ×%.%-5, ×&,.5
= &((
(1)
= 65.44 (1)
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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 33)

28Chlorine has an atomic number of 17.
a) Chlorine-35 and chlorine-37 are two isotopes of chlorine.
A normal sample of chlorine contains only chlorine-35
and chlorine-37 atoms.
Explain why the relative atomic mass of chlorine is 35.5.
The relative atomic mass of chlorine is the weighted
mean mass of its atom. (1)
The percentage abundance of chlorine-35 is higher than
that of chlorine-37. (1)
b) Draw the electron diagram for a chlorine atom.

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 33)

29 The atomic number of silicon is 14.

a) Draw the electron diagram for a silicon atom.

b) Name the TWO subatomic particles in the nucleus of

a silicon atom.
Protons and neutrons (1)
c) Explain why a silicon atom has no overall charges.
Number of protons is equal to number of electrons (1)

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Unit 5 Atomic structure

Unit Exercise (p. 33)

30 Indium has two naturally occurring isotopes: indium-113
and indium-115. The relative atomic mass of indium is
114.8. Calculate the percentage abundance of each
isotope.
Let the relative abundance of indium-113 and indium-115 be y% and
(100 – y)% respectively.
Relative atomic mass of indium = 114.8
!!- ×%&!!# ×(!))*%)
= !))
(1)
11 480 = 113y + 11 500 – 115y
y = 10.0 (1)
∴ the percentage abundance of indium-113 is 10.0% while that of
indium-115 is 90.0%.

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