Name : _________________________

Date: _________________________

Combined Science (Chemistry): Atomic Structure

1. Elements, Compounds and Mixtures

Element Compound Mixture

Made up of at least 2
Made up only 1 kind Made up of at least 2
Composition substances (elements
of atom (element) elements.
or compounds).
Cannot be broken Can be easily separated
Can only be separated
Separation down into simpler by physical means (e.g.
by chemical means.
substances filtration, distillation)
Can exist as single Chemically bonded by
Not chemically
Bonding atoms or as diatomic ionic or covalent
combined.
molecules bonds.
Purity Pure. Pure. Not pure.
Boiling and
Fixed melting and Fixed melting and A range of melting and
Melting
boiling points boiling points boiling points
points
Retains properties of
Different from its
Unique set of the constituents
Properties constituent
properties (elements or
components.
compounds)
Copper, Magnesium, Water, Carbon dioxide,
Salt water, Milo, Air,
Examples Oxygen gas, Hydrogen Sodium chloride (Table
Muddy water
gas, Chlorine gas Salt)

[Link] 1
2. Atoms
• There are more than 100 types of elements existing naturally in this world
• An element is a substance consisting of one type of atom only. It cannot be broken down
chemically into simpler substances.
Examples

• Atoms of different elements are different in size.

• An atom is the smallest particle of a substance.
• It has a nucleus which contains protons and neutrons.
• Electrons move around the nucleus in the electron shell or orbit.

[Link] 2
• The characteristics of the three sub-particles of an atom:

Electron Proton Neutron

1
Relative mass 1 1
1840
Relative charge –1 +1 0 (neutral)

Location Electron Shell Nucleus Nucleus

• An atom has equal numbers of protons and electrons. The total number of positively
charged protons is neutralised by an equal number of negatively charged electrons. So, an
atom is electrically neutral because there is no net charge.

A) Proton Number and Mass Number

• Proton number (or atomic number), Z, is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.
• Nucleon number (or mass number), A, is the total number of protons and neutrons in the
nucleus of an atom.

[Link] 3
• Proton number also indicates the number of electrons in an atom (note that an atom has
equal number of protons and electrons).
Example
The number of protons, electrons and neutrons of fluorine atoms can be determined from
the mass number and proton number given in the Periodic Table.

B) Isotopes
• Isotopes are atoms that have the same number of protons but different number of neutrons.
• Due to the difference in the number of neutrons, isotopes have different mass number
Example
Isotopes of chlorine atoms

𝟏𝟕 𝟏𝟕
𝟑𝟓𝑪𝒍 𝟑𝟕𝑪𝒍

Number of protons 17 17 (same)

Number of 18 20 (different)
neutrons
Number of 17 17
electrons
Mass Number 35 37 (different)

3. Ions
• All atoms are electrically neutral. They have equal number of protons and electrons
• When an atom loses or gains electrons, the number of protons is not equal to the number
of electrons anymore. Therefore, the atom will not be electrically neutral.
• When an atom is not electrically neutral, it is called an ion.

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• There are two types of ions:
- If an atom loses electron(s), it becomes a positive ion.

Example

- If an atom gains electron(s), it becomes a negative ion.

Example

• In the formation of ions, the process only involves the gaining or losing of electrons.
Therefore, electrons are responsible for the chemical properties of an atom.
• The number of protons and neutrons remains the same. Therefore, the proton number and
mass number are not affected.
• In the formation of ions:
- Metals lose electrons to form positive ions
- Non-metals gain electrons to form negative ions

[Link] 5
A) Formation of positive ions
• The symbol for a positive ion contains the following:
- A positive sign indicating the loss of electron(s)
- A numerical number indicating the number of electrons lost.

Example I
A sodium atom loses one electron to form a sodium ion.

Example II
A calcium atom loses two electrons to form a calcium ion.

Example II
An aluminium atom loses three electrons to form an aluminium ion.

[Link] 6
B) Formation of negative ions
• The symbol for a negative ion contains the following:
- A negative sign indicating the loss of electron(s)
- A numerical number indicating the number of electrons gained.

Example I
A bromine atom gains one electron to form a bromide ion.

Example II
A sulfur atom gains two electrons to form a sulfide ion.

Example II
A nitrogen atom gains three electrons to form a nitride ion.

[Link] 7
4. Chemical Formula
• A chemical formula of a substance indicates two important information about the
substance:
- Type of element
- Total number of each type of atom

Example I

Example II

[Link] 8
 A) How are chemical formulas devised?

Example on Sodium and Chlorine reaction forming Sodium Chloride

1) Forming the sodium ion

Ion formed: Na+

2) Forming the Chlorine ion

Ion formed: Cl-

3) Writing/devising the chemical formula

Na1+ Cl1-

Na1 Cl1
(Metal) (Non-Metal)
Formula: NaCl

[Link] 9
 4) Forming the ionic bond (by transferring electrons)

Na Cl

Example: Magnesium and chlorine reaction

Mg2+ Cl1-

(Metal) (Non-Metal)

Formula:

Dot-and-cross diagram:

[Link] 10
 Name : _________________________

Date: _________________________

Atomic Structure (Worksheet 1a)

Difficulty: Easy

1. The diagram below shows the three sub-particles of an atom:

+
+
=

(a) Fill in the table below:

Proton Electron Neutron

Relative mass

Relative charge

Location

(b) What is an isotope?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

[Link] 11
2. Complete the following table:
Proton Number of
Element Mass number
number protons neutrons electrons

Oxygen

Calcium

Phosphorous

Fluorine

Magnesium

Nickel

3. Ions are formed when an atom gains or loses an electron(s). However, there are some
elements on the periodic table which have a full valence shell and do not form ions.
(a) Which group do the elements belong to? What are they called?

__________________________________________________________________

(b) What is meant by “valence electrons”?

__________________________________________________________________
(c) Based on your knowledge on ions and valence electrons, complete the following table:

Number of
Number of Number of Electronic
Element valence
Protons Electrons configuration
electron
Mg 12 12 2. 8. 2 2

Na

Cl

Ca

[Link] 12
4. Draw the dot and cross diagram of:

(a) Magnesium atom (b) Oxygen atom

(c) Chlorine atom (d) sodium atom

(e) neon atom (f) nitrogen atom

[Link] 13
5. Ions are formed when an atom gains or loses an electron(s).
(a) Based on your knowledge on ions and valence electrons, complete the following table:

Number of
Number of Number of Type of ion
Element valence Ion*
Protons Electrons formed*
electron
Mg 12 12 2 Cation Mg2+

Na

Cl

Ca

(b) Draw the dot and cross diagram of:

(i) Magnesium ion (ii) Oxygen ion

[Link] 14
 (iii) Chlorine ion (iv) sodium ion

[Link] 15
 Name : _________________________

Date: _________________________

Atomic Structure (Worksheet 2)

Paper 1: MCQ

1. What is the mass of electron?

%
A. %&'( B. 1

C. 0. D. None of the above

2. What can be deduced from the symbol H2SO4 ?

A. The compound has 6 elements.
B. The compound has a negative charge.
C. The compound has 3 elements.
D. There are two S (sulphur) atoms in the compound.

3. Which of the following statements define an Isotope?

A. It has more protons only.
B. It has different number of neutrons.
C. It has different number of electrons
D. It has same number of neutrons.

4. Which two particles have about the same relative mass?

A. a neutron and an electron. B. a proton and a neutron

C. a proton and an atom. D. a proton and an electron

5. Which of the following shows a compound containing three atoms?

A. BaCl2 B. CaO
C. CH3CO2Na D. H2O2

[Link] 16
6. Which of the following statements define an Isotope?

A. It has different number of electrons.

B. It has different number of protons.
C. It is lighter than the atom of the same element.
D. It has different number of neutrons

7. Which of the following statements is true of isotopes?

A. They have the same boiling points.

B. They differ in the number of protons.
C. They differ in the number of electrons.
D. They have the similar chemical properties.

8. What is the group and period of the element: Boron, in the Periodic Table?

A. GROUP III PERIOD 3

B. GROUP III PERIOD 2
C. GROUP II PERIOD 3
D. GROUP II PERIOD 2

9. Which two particles have about the same relative mass?

A. an atom and an isotope (of the same element).

B. a proton and an atom
C. an element and an electron
D. a proton and a neutron

10. Which of the following consists of the most number of occupied electron shells?
A. He B. Br
C. Li D. Al

11. Which of the following ions contains the smallest number of electrons?

A. Br— B. Ca2+
C. Al3+ D. P3-

[Link] 17
12. The ion M+ contains 23 particles in the nucleus and 10 electrons outside the nucleus.
What does the nucleus of the ion M+ contain?

Number of protons Number of neutrons

A. 9 14
B. 10 13
C. 11 12
D. 12 11

13. Which of the following has approximately the same mass of a proton?

A. An electron
B. A hydrogen atom
C. A hydrogen ion
D. A hydrogen molecule

14. The most common isotope of chromium has a nucleon number of 52.

Which symbol represents a different isotope of chromium?

)*
A. )'𝐶𝑟 B. )*
)*𝐶𝑟

C. )'
*'𝐶𝑟 D. )'
)'𝐶𝑟

15. Metal M forms an oxide of formula M2O3. The mass of one molecule of the oxide is 152.

What is the relative atomic mass of M?

A. 28 B. 52
C. 64 D. 104

16. Which statement explains why noble gases are unreactive?

A. They all have completely filled valence shells.

B. They all have eight electrons in their valence shells.
C. They all have an even number of electrons.
D. They all have the same number of electrons and protons.

[Link] 18
17. The formulae of some ions are shown as follows:
N3- O2- F— K+ Mg2+
These ions has the same

A. Total number of electrons

B. Number of electrons in the nucleus
C. Number of valence electrons
D. Number of electronic shells

18. In which option do the three particles each have the same number of electrons?

A. Cl—, Br —, I—
B. F— , Ne, Na+
C. K+, Ca2+, Br —
D. Li+, Na+, K

19. Which line lists the electronic configurations of three metals?

Atom 1 Atom 2 Atom 3

A 2 2, 8 2, 8, 8
B 2, 1 2, 8, 1 2, 8, 8, 2
C 2, 7 2, 8, 7 2, 8, 8, 7
D 2, 8, 3 2, 8, 4 2, 8, 5

20. The ion X3+ contains 52 particles in the nucleus and 21 electrons.

How many protons and neutrons are there in the nucleus of X3+?

number of protons number of neutrons

A 18 34
B 21 31
C 24 28
D 52 73

[Link] 19
21. What can be deduced from the symbol ,+𝐿𝑖 ?

A. The lithium atom has 3 electrons.

B. The lithium atom has 7 neutrons.
C. The lithium atom has 10 protons.
D. The lithium atom is electronically stable

22. During a chemical reaction, an atom becomes a negative ion.

What happens to the number of each sub-atomic particle?

number of protons number of neutrons number of electrons

A decreases remains unchanged increases
B remains unchanged increases decreases
C remains unchanged remains unchanged decreases
D remains unchanged remains unchanged increases

23. One subatomic particle is added to an atom of an element Y. Which particle is responsible
for the corresponding change?

Particle Corresponding change

A Electron an isotope of element Y is formed
B Proton the element on the left of Y in the Periodic Table is formed
C Neutron an isotope of element Y is formed
D Neutron the element on the left of Y in the Periodic Table is formed

24. The electronic configuration of an ion is 2, 8, 8.

Which of the following is a possible identity of this ion?

S2– Ca2+
A
B
C
D

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25. The table below shows the atomic structures of four particles, represented by the letters P
to S. The letters are not the symbols of the elements.

Particle No of protons No of neutrons No of electrons

P 8 10 8
Q 8 10 10
R 12 12 10
S 12 12 12

Which two particles are an atom and a cation of the same element?

A. P and Q C. Q and S
B. Q and R D. R and S

26. In which of the following sets do all three particles have the same number of electrons?

A Cl– Br– I–
B F– Mg2+ Be2+
C K+ Ca2+ Cl–
D Na+ Al3+ Ar

[Link] 21
Paper 2: Structured Questions

1. A molecule of a substance is made up of calcium, carbon and element X. Its chemical

formula is shown in the figure below.

CaCX3
One molecule of this substance has a total number of 50 protons.

(a) What is the number of protons in one atom of element X? (Hint: find the proton number
for calcium and carbon)

_______________ protons

(b) By referring to the Periodic Table, what is the nucleon number of element X?

_____________________________________________________________________

2. The diagrams below show the nuclei of five different atoms, P, Q, R, S and T.

(a) Which of the atoms, P, Q, R, S and T

(i) has a nucleon number of 4, ___________________________

(ii) are isotopes of the same element? ___________________________

[Link] 22
 (b) (i) A compound is formed between the element of proton number 20 and another
of proton number 9.

Give the chemical formulae of the two different types of ions formed.

______________________________________________________________

(ii) Draw the “dot and cross” diagram of the compound formed between them*.

[Link] 23
3. Letters A to E in the figure below refer to five substances. The three shapes ∎, ∆ and Ο
represent three different types of atoms.

(a) Which of the substances are elements?

_____________________________________________________________________

(b) Which of the substances are compounds?

_____________________________________________________________________

(c) Which of the substances is a mixture of two elements?

_____________________________________________________________________

4. Uranium is a radioactive element which has unstable isotopes. It is used as a fuel in the
nuclear power industry and was a component of the atomic bombs used in World War II.
The two common isotopes of Uranium are *+& *+)
-*𝑈 (Uranium–238) and -*𝑈 (Uranium–235).

(a) Calculate the number of neutrons in an atom of Uranium–238 and an atom of

Uranium–235.

Uranium–238: ______________

Uranium–235: ______________

(b) Define the term “isotope”. Use your answers in part (a) to explain why these two
particles are “isotopes”.

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

[Link] 24
5. The figure below shows the nuclei of 5 different atoms, E, F, G, H and I.
The letters are not the chemical symbols of the elements.

(a) The following statements describe the atoms, E, F, G, H and L Place a tick (√) in the
box if the statement is true, and a cross (×) if the statement is false.
statement √ or ×
(i) Atoms E and F have the same nucleon number
(ii) Atoms H and I are the same element
(iii) G is located in the first period of the Periodic Table.
(iv) Only atom F is a non-metal.

(b) From the figure above, deduce the identity of G. Hence, draw a 'dot and cross' diagram
to show the bonding between G and oxygen*. Show only outermost shell electrons.

G is ______________________.

[Link] 25
6. (a) A sample of sulfur contains two different isotopes of sulfur atoms. Each sulfur atom
can become a sulfide ion.
Complete Table 6.1 to describe the composition of the sulfur atom and the sulfide ion.
Table 6.1
particle number of
protons neutrons electrons
a sulfur atom +'
%. S

a sulfur ion +*
%. S
*/

(b) Sulfur form compounds with sodium. Draw 'dot and cross' diagrams to show the
bonding for the compound formed between sodium and sulfur. Only the outer electrons
need to be shown*.

[Link] 26
7. ln the figure below, A, B, C, D, E and F represents the particles in different substances.

Which one of A, B, C, D, E and F best represents

(a) pure argon, : ______________

(b) pure carbon dioxide, : ______________

(c) a mixture of compounds, : ______________

(d) a mixture of elements. : ______________

8. Complete Table 8.1 lo describe the composition and electron arrangement of the following
particles.

symbol of particle number of number of electron

protons neutrons arrangement
*+
%% Na 12 2. 8. 1

%- /
- F

Table 8.1

[Link] 27
9. The diagrams below (A, B, C, D, E and F) represent the particles in several substances.

Which diagram (A, B, C, D, E or F) best represents the following description?

(a) a solid compound : ______________

(b) a liquid element : ______________

(c) a gaseous element : ______________

(d) a diatomic molecule : ______________

10. Use the Periodic Table to help you to complete the table below.

No of No of No of Electron
Particle
protons neutrons electrons configuration
Magnesium
2, 8, 2
atom

9 9

8 8 10

Nitride ion 7 7

[Link] 28
11. The table below shows the chemical formula of various types of particles found in
substances. Each chemical formula can be used once, more than once or not at all.

(a) With reference to the table above, write down the formula(e) of the following:
(i) two molecules of compounds that have four or more atoms [1]

_______________________________________________________________
(ii) one molecule of an element [1]

_______________________________________________________________
(iii) an electrically neutral atom [1]

_______________________________________________________________
(iv) a metallic ion [1]

_______________________________________________________________

(b) Complete the table below on the number of sub-atomic particles for each of the
following particles. [2]

Particles Protons Electrons Neutrons

Ca2+ 18

P3– 16

12. The symbols below represent two isotopes of aluminium.

Compare and contrast the nuclei of these two isotopes.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

[Link] 29
13. Use the figure below to answer the question.
A C

B D

(a) Which of the above represents oxygen gas? ________________

(b) Which of the following represents neon gas? ________________

14. (a) Fill in the table below:

Atomic Number of Nucleon Electron

Element
number neutrons number configuration
W 6 12
X 9 2, 7
Y 20 39
Z 18 21

(b) Which of the atoms, W, X, Y and Z

(i) has a full valence shell, ___________________________

(ii) has the smallest relative mass? ___________________________

[Link] 30
15. The table below shows the atomic number and mass number of six atoms of elements,
represented by the letters P to U. The letters are not the symbols of the elements.

Atom P Q R S T U
Atomic number 1 3 7 9 13

mass number 1 19 27 40

No of electrons 1 3 7 18

No of neutrons 4 8 10 14 22

(a) Complete the table above.

(b) Use the letters P to U to answer the following questions. You may use the letters once,
more than once, or not at all.

State the atom(s) with,

(i) with 8 electrons in its outermost shell, _______________

(ii) which are metallic elements, _______________

(iii) the same electronic configuration as fluorine atom, _______________

(iv) which combines with oxygen to form water. _______________

(c) Comparing protons, electrons and neutrons, which subatomic particles have the lowest
mass?

_____________________________________________________________________

(d) Draw the electronic configuration of R in the box below.

[Link] 31
 Name : _________________________

Date: _________________________

Atomic Structure (Test)

Paper 1 : MCQ

1. Which compound contains three elements?

A. aluminium nitrate
B. ammonium sulfate
C. potassium oxide
D. sodium chloride

2. Which of the following shows a mixture of a compound and an element?

3. Which letter in the table represents a value of 0?

particle relative charge relative mass

electron A 1/1840
neutron B 1
proton C D

4. When two elements react together, a compound is formed.

Which statement is correct?

A. Equal masses of the elements must be used.

B. The compound shows similar chemical properties to those of the elements.
C. The elements must be both metals.
D. The compound will melt and boil at fixed temperature

[Link] 32
5. Which of the following statements about the nucleus of an atom is correct?
A. The nucleus has no charge.
B. The nucleus is positively charged.
C. There are protons, neutrons and electrons in the nucleus.
D. There are more protons than neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.

6. The nucleon number and proton number of an atom of X and an atom of Y are shown.
X Y
nucleon number 40 40
proton number 18 20

Which statement about X and Y is correct?

A. An atom of X has more electrons than an atom of Y.
B. An atom of X has more neutrons than an atom of Y.
C. X is above Y in the same group of the Periodic Table.
D. X is the same period in the Periodic Table as Y.

7. Which statements correctly describe the properties of mixtures of iron and sulfur, and the
compound iron(tr) sulfide, FeS?

mixtures of iron and sulfur iron(II) sulfide

iron and sulfur mix without iron and sulfur combine in a chemical
1
chemically reacting reaction to form iron(Il) sulfide
the mixtures do not have the iron(II) sulfide has the properties of
2
properties of iron or sulfur iron and sulfur
the ratio of iron to sulfur in the ratio of iron to sulfur in iron(Il)
3
mixtures can vary sulfide is always the same

A. 1 only B. 1 and 3 C. 2 and 3 D. 1, 2 and 3

[Link] 33
8. Two naturally occurring isotopes of uranium can be represented as *+) *+&
-*𝑈 and -*𝑈.

Which of the following statements is correct?

A. They have the same number of electrons and protons.

B. They have the same number of neutrons and protons.
C. They have the same number of neutrons and electrons
D. They have the same number of nucleons and electrons.

9. Metal P and non-metal Q react together to form an ionic compound P3Q2.

Which of the following correctly describes the electrons gained and lost by each atom?

electrons lost by each atom of P electrons gained by each atom of Q

A 1 3
B 2 3
C 3 2
D 2 1

10. The diagram represents an atom of element X.

Which of the following represents the symbol of this element?

A. ,' 𝑋
,
B. + 𝑋
+
C. , 𝑋

D. ', 𝑋

[Link] 34
Paper 2 : Structured Questions

1. The table below lists the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in several different
particles.
Particle (not Number of Number of Number of
chemical symbols) protons electrons neutrons
F 3 2 4

G 5 5 6

H 8 8 8

I 8 8 9

J 9 10 10

K 10 10 20

Which of the following particles, F, G, H, I, J and K in the table above, fit each of the
following descriptions? [5]

(a) an atom with 3 valence electrons ________________

(b) an atom of a noble gas ________________

(c) an ion of a non-metal ________________

(d) atoms of isotopes of the same element ________________

(e) a positive ion ________________

[Link] 35
2. Some elements have many isotopes. The table below shows information about three
isotopes of element X.

element X
isotope 1 2 3
number of protons 16 16 16
number of neutrons 13 14 15
number of electrons 16 16 16
number of electron in valence shells 6 6 6

(a) Use data from the table above to show that 1, 2 and 3 are isotopes of the same element.

_____________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________ [2]

(b) Explain how the data suggests that the three isotopes have the same chemical reactions.

_____________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________ [1]

(c) Element Y and Z also have isotopes.

The table below shows information about an isotope of element Y and isotope of
element Z.
isotope of isotope of
element Y element Z
number of protons 8 30
number of neutrons 7 34
number of electrons 8 30
number of electrons in valence shell 8 2

Use the information in both tables and the Periodic table, to identify the elements X, Y
and Z. [2]

X: ________________

Y: ________________

Z: ________________

[Link] 36