National 4 & 5 Chemistry Chemical Changes and Structure Atomic structure

NATIONAL 4 AND NATIONAL 5 CHEMISTRY

Unit 1: Chemical Changes and Structure

Topic 2
ATOMIC STRUCTURE

Name _____________________________________ Class _____

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 National 4 & 5 Chemistry Chemical Changes and Structure Atomic structure

Unit 1: Chemical Changes and Structure

TOPIC 2: ATOMIC STRUCTURE

How well I have

LEVEL NOTES understood (✓)
AFTER COMPLETING THIS TOPIC YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO:
N4 N5 (Page)
☺  
N4 State every element is made up of very small particles called atoms. 2
Describe the structure of the atom as having a nucleus, which contains protons
N4 and neutrons, with electrons moving around outside the nucleus.
3-5

State protons have a charge of one-positive, neutrons are neutral and electrons
N4 have a charge of one-negative.
3-5

State an atom is neutral because the numbers of protons and electrons are
N4 6
equal.
State that atoms of different elements have a different number of protons, called
N4 8
the atomic number.

N4 State electrons in an atom are arranged in energy levels. 6-7

State the elements of the Periodic Table are arranged in terms of their atomic
N4 number and chemical properties.
8-11

State those elements with the same number of outer electrons have similar
N4 chemical properties.
8-11

State that protons and neutrons have an approximate mass of one atomic mass
N5 12-15
unit and electrons, in comparison, have virtually no mass.
State an atom has a mass number which equals the number of protons plus
N5 neutrons.
13

Write nuclide notation for an atom or an ion and calculate the number of
N5 14
protons, neutrons and electrons.
State isotopes are atoms with the same atomic number but different mass
N5 numbers.
15-16

State elements exist as a mixture of isotopes and the average mass of an atom
N5 16-17
is called the relative atomic mass and is rarely a whole number.
Estimate the relative atomic mass of an element given the mass number and
N5 abundance of each isotope.
16-17

N5 State that the rows of the Periodic Table are called periods. 18
N5 Explain how the periods relate to the electron arrangement of an atom. 18
State atoms can join by electrons transferring from one atom to another and
N5 forming ions.
19-12

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N4 THE ATOM N4

HISTORY OF THE ATOM

The term atom was first used by the Greek philosopher called
Democritus.

Democritus thought that if a substance is broken up into smaller

and smaller pieces, eventually a stage would be reached where a
tiny particle of the substance would exist that could not be broken
down.

He called this tiny particle an ATOM. From the Greek word

“atomos,” this means indivisible.
Democritus
All matter is made up of tiny particles called atoms. (about 488 – 370 BC)

It took over 2000 years before the idea of matter and atoms was
used again.

In 1803, a scientist called John Dalton put forward his ideas on

elements and atoms.

John Dalton’s ideas:

• All substances are made of tiny particles called ATOMS.

• All atoms of one element are exactly the same.
• Atoms of different elements join together to form compounds.
• Atoms cannot be broken down into anything smaller.
John Dalton
(1766 – 1844)

John Dalton thought an atom was like a tiny ball. John Dalton’s
model of the atom.

The discovery of radioactivity in the latter part of the 19th century

showed that atoms were made of smaller particles.

In 1911, a new model of the atom was put forward by a scientist called
Ernest Rutherford.

Ernest Rutherford
(1871 – 1937)
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 National 4 & 5 Chemistry Chemical Changes and Structure Atomic structure
Ernest Rutherford’s atom
Ernest Rutherford’s model of the atom was:

• The atom is mostly made of empty space.

• At the centre of the atom is a tiny POSITIVELY charged particle +
called the NUCLEUS.
• Moving round the nucleus are even smaller particles called
ELECTRONS. Negatively charged
• Electrons carry a NEGATIVE charge. electron moving round Positively charged
the nucleus nucleus.

The positive charge of the nucleus comes from positively charged particles called protons.

ATOMIC NUMBER

All elements are arranged on the Periodic Table by their ATOMIC NUMBER.

The atomic number gives the following information about an atom.

• The size of the positive charge (number of protons) in the nucleus.

• The number of negatively charged electrons orbiting the nucleus.

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T H E N E U T R ON
In 1932, James Chadwick discovered that atoms contained a third particle
called the NEUTRON.

The neutron is found in the nucleus of the atom and has zero charge, it is
neutral.

The neutron has the same mass as a proton.

James Chadwick
S U M MA R Y (1891 – 1974)

The atom is made from three smaller particles.

+ Proton Both particles have the same mass and

are located in the nucleus of an atom.
Neutron

Has a nearly zero mass and orbits the

Electron
nucleus.

STRUCTURE OF THE ATOM

Lithium Atom

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Though atoms are made of charged particles they have no overall charge. They are NEUTRAL.

The POSITIVE charge of the protons in the nucleus is CANCELLED OUT by the NEGATIVELY
charged electrons.

DICTIONARY - ATOMIC NUMBER

ATOMIC NUMBER is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.

Since atoms are electrically neutral, the atomic number also tells you the number of electrons.

To practise working out the particles which make up an atom do the ATOMS AND
ATOMIC NUMBER examples on page 2 of the Practice Examples Booklet.

N4 ELECTRONS N4

E N E R GY L E V E L S

The electrons in an atom orbit around the nucleus. This means electrons
posses energy.

In 1913, Niels Bohr worked out that electrons only orbit the nucleus at
certain distances called ENERGY LEVELS.

Niels Bohr
(1885 – 1962)

The first energy level can hold 2 electrons.

The second energy level can hold 8 electrons.

The third energy level can hold 8 electrons.

Electrons fill up the lowest energy levels first.

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ELECTRON ARRANGEMENT

How the electrons fill up the energy levels in an atom is called the ELECTRON ARRANGEMENT.

The electron arrangements of atoms can be found in the Chemistry Data Booklet.

ELECTRON ARRANGEMENTS OF SELECTED ELEMENTS

Group I Group II Group III Group IV Group V Group VI Group VII Group 0
1 2
Hydrogen Helium
H He

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Lithium Beryllium Boron Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen Fluorine Neon
Li Be B C N O F Ne

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Sodium Magnesium Aluminium Silicon Phosphorus Sulphur Chlorine Argon
Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar
2, 8, 4

19 20
Potassium Calcium
K Ca

Use the Chemistry Data Booklet to write the electron arrangement of each atom in the
periodic table above.

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CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

When atoms react and join they use their outer electrons on their atoms.
These electrons are the first particles the atoms meet when they approach each other to join.

The outer electrons on an atom are responsible for the CHEMICAL PROPERTIES.

GR O U P I – A L K A L I ME T A L S

The elements in group I are called the ALKALI METALS.

Group I
All the alkali metals have 1 electron in the outer
3
energy level of their atoms.
Li
Lithium

11 Lithium (Li)
Na
Sodium
Li, Na and K are stored in oil to protect them from
moisture and oxygen in the air.
19
K Li, Na and K react vigorously with water and
Potassium produce an alkaline solution.

37
Sodium (Na)
Rb
Rubidium

Going down group I, the reactivity of the metals

55 increase.
Cs
Caesium

87
Potassium (K)
Fr
Francium
All group I – alkali metal atoms have 1 electron in their outer energy level.

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GROUP VII – THE HALOGENS

Group VII The non-metals in group VII are called the HALOGENS.

9
Fluorine is a pale yellow gas.
F
Fluorine

17
Cl Chlorine is a pale green gas.
Chlorine

35
Bromine is a brown liquid.
Br
Bromine

53
I Iodine is a dark purple solid.
Iodine

85
At Astatine is man-made element which is radioactive.
Astatine

All group VII – halogen atoms have 7 electrons in their outer energy level.

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GR O U P 0 – T H E N OB L E GA S E S

Group 0 The non-metals in group 0 are called the NOBLE GASES.

2
Helium is used for filling balloons.
He
Helium

10 Neon is used in advertising lights.

Ne
Neon

18 Argon is used in lasers.

Ar
Argon

36
Krypton is used in special light bulbs.
Kr
Krypton

54
Xe Xenon is used in the bulbs in camera flashguns and stroboscopes.
Xenon

86
Apart from helium, all group 0 - noble gas atoms have 8 electrons in their outer
Rn energy level. The helium atom only contains 2 electrons.
Radon

The chemical properties of an atom depend on the number of electrons in the outer energy level.

All the atoms in the same group have the same number of electrons in the outer energy level of their
atoms which gives them similar chemical properties.

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N5 ATOMIC & MASS NUMBERS N5

SUB – ATOMIC PARTICLES

Atoms are made of three smaller particles. These particles are called the sub – atomic particles as
they are smaller than the atom.

Helium Atom

+ The proton has a positive charge.

Neutron has zero charge. It is NEUTRAL.

The proton and neutron have the same mass. Their mass is very small at 1.67  10‒27 kg.

This number is called 1 atomic mass unit (amu for short).

The electron has a negative charge. Its mass is about 1850 times smaller than a proton /
neutron.

The mass of an electron is so small it is taken to be 0 amu.

Helium nucleus has a

This means the mass of an atom comes from the protons and neutrons in mass of 4 amu.
the nucleus of the atom.

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S U M MA R Y

Mass
Particle Charge Location
(amu)

Moves around the nucleus

NUM BERS

DICTIONARY - ATOMIC NUMBER

ATOMIC NUMBER is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.

Since atoms are electrically neutral, the atomic number also tells you the number of electrons.

The mass of an atom comes from the protons and neutrons in the nucleus of
the atom.

The mass number of this

Since the proton and neutron have a mass of 1 amu the total is called the helium atom is 4 amu.
MASS NUMBER.

DICTIONARY - MASS NUMBER

MASS NUMBER is the total number of protons plus neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.
Mass number = No. of protons + No. of neutrons

Knowing the atomic number and the mass number of an atom, the number of neutrons in the
nucleus can be calculated.

Neutron Mass Atomic

number = number - number

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ELEMENT SYMBOLS

Lithium Atom

To practise working out the particles which make up an atom, and writing element
symbols with mass and atomic numbers, do the ATOM NUMBERS 1 and 2 examples
on pages 3 & 4 of the Practice Examples Booklet.

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N5 ISOTOPES N5

SAME BUT DIFFERENT!!

The number of protons in the nucleus determines the type of atom.

Here are 3 hydrogen atoms.

These are all hydrogen atoms as they have 1 proton in their nucleus.

The difference between the atoms is caused by different numbers of neutrons in the nuclei.

The different number of neutrons affects the MASS NUMBERS of the atoms.

These 3 different atoms of hydrogen are called ISOTOPES.

DICTIONARY - ISOTOPES

ISOTOPES are atoms with the same ATOMIC NUMBER but have DIFFERENT MASS
NUMBERS.
i.e. Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei.

Isotopes comes from two Greek words “isos” meaning “equal,” and “topos” meaning “place”.

Isotopes are atoms which come from the same place in the periodic table.

All elements have 2 or more isotopes.

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ISOTOPES OF CARBON

12 C 13 C 14 C
6 6 6
No. of
protons

No. of
electrons

No. of
neutrons

A sample of carbon contains all 3 isotopes. However, the 3 isotopes are not present in equal
quantities.

The average mass of a carbon atom is calculated.

RELATIVE ATOMIC MASS

Here are the 3 naturally occurring isotopes of carbon and their abundance.

12 C 13 C 14 C
6 6 6
Abundance 98.93 % 1.07 % 0.0000000001 %

The average mass of a carbon atom is 12.011.

The average is just above 12 as the most abundant carbon isotope is mass number 12. No carbon
atom has a mass of 12.011. Their masses will be 12 or 13 or 14.

The average mass of an atom is called the RELATIVE ATOMIC MASS.

The relative atomic mass of carbon is 12.011.

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The mass of atoms is measured using an instrument

called a MASS SPECTROMETER.

The mass spectrometer measures the masses of atoms

and how much (abundance) of each isotope is present.

The scale of atomic mass of atoms is measured by

using the isotope of carbon with mass number 12 (12C)
as the standard.

The scale of atomic masses is said to be relative to the

12C standard.

DICTIONARY - RELATIVE ATOMIC MASS

RELATIVE ATOMIC MASS is the average mass of an atom. It is calculated from the mass
numbers of the isotopes and their abundance.
The word “RELATIVE” is used because atoms have their mass compared to carbon atoms
with a mass number 12 (12C).

Here are the isotopes of chlorine and their abundance.

35 Cl 37 Cl
17 17
Abundance 98.93 % 1.07 %

The relative atomic mass of chlorine is 35.453. This average is close to 35 as 35Cl is the most
abundant isotope.

The relative atomic masses of selected atoms are listed in the Chemistry Data Booklet. Most values
are rounded to whole numbers.

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N5 THE PERIODIC TABLE & IONS N5

PERIODIC TABLE

The rows of the Periodic Table are called the PERIODS.

The periods relate to the filling up of the energy levels with electrons.

1st energy level 1st energy

holds 2 electrons. level full.

2nd energy level 2nd energy

holds 8 electrons. level full.

There are 7 energy levels in an atom and there are 7 periods

(rows). The energy levels further out from the nucleus can
hold increasing numbers of electrons.

The numbered columns are called GROUPS.

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ATOMS JOINING
Atoms use their outer electrons to join. It is the outer electrons on an atom which gives the atom its
chemical properties.

One way atoms can join is to TRANSFER one or more electron(s) from one atom to another.

When an electron transfers from one atom to another the atoms will no longer be electrically neutral.

Charged atoms are called IONS.

Atoms have equal numbers

of positive charges
(protons) in the nucleus
and negative electrons.

Atoms are NEUTRAL.

When an atom loses an When an atom gains an

electron it becomes a electron it becomes a
positively charged ion. negatively charged ion.

Opposite electrical
charges attract.

The ions attract each other and stick together.

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ION SYMBOLS

Lithium atom Lithium ion

Li Li+
Lithium ion has a 1 positive charge.
Its atom lost 1 electron.

Oxygen atom Oxide ion

Negative ions end

O O2− their name in ide.

Oxide ion has a 2 negative charge.

The oxygen atom gained 2
electrons.

Aluminium atom Aluminium ion

Al Al3+
Aluminium ion has a 3 positive
charge. Its atom lost 3 electrons.

Chlorine atom Chloride ion

Cl Cl− Negative ions end

their name in ide.

Chloride ion has a 1 negative

charge. The chlorine atom gained 1
electron.

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IONS SYMBOL AGAIN!

To practise working out the particles which make up an atom or ion, and writing
element symbols with mass and atomic numbers, do the IONS, ATOMS AND
NUMBERS Parts 1, 2 and 3 examples on pages 5 - 7 of the Practice Examples
Booklet.

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