Chapter 2
Atoms, Elements,
and Compounds
[Link]/chemistry/armstrong
Lectures written by Melanie Harvey & Krista Thomas, Johnson County CC
2.1 Classifying Matter: Mixtures, Compounds,
and Elements
• Chemistry is the study of matter.
• Matter includes anything that has mass.
• We can classify matter based on its properties.
• Properties are any description of a sample of matter
that is based on observations or measurements
Properties of Matter
• Intensive properties do not depend on the size of the
sample selected
• Examples: color and density
• Extensive properties depend on the size of the
sample chosen
• Example: Mass and volume
Try it!
• Identify each of the following statements as
intensive or extensive properties:
• The milk is white
• I have one liter of milk
• The milk is high in fat
• The milk has a density of 1.04 g/mL
Solution
• The milk is white---Intensive, does not depend on
sample size
• I have one liter of milk—Extensive, depends on
sample size
• The milk is high in fat—Intensive, does not depend on
sample size
• The milk has a density of 1.04 g/mL—Intensive, does
not depend on sample size
Mixture or Chemical Substance
• A mixture can have different proportions of its
ingredients
• Example: Salt water, the composition depends on
where it was obtained
• Mixtures tend to look and act like their components
(looks like water and tastes like salt)
• A chemical substance only has one possible
composition
• Example: Table Salt, NaCl (always 50% Na and 50%
Cl)
• Compounds are different from their components
Mixture or Compound
Types of Mixtures
• Homogeneous mixtures look like a single substance
• Example: Air
• Heterogeneous mixtures appear to have two or
more different-looking components
• Example: Dirt
Elements and Compounds
• A compound is a chemical substance that can be
made by combining two or more other substances
• Elements cannot be made from or broken down into
anything else
2.2 Atoms and Atomic Structure
• An atom is the smallest possible piece of an
element.
• Atoms are the basic building blocks of all matter.
• Atoms are far smaller than anything we can observe
with our senses
• The mass of an atom is an important property that is
so small it is expressed in atomic mass units (amu)
• 1 gram = 6.022 × 1023 amu…this is Avogadro’s
number
Subatomic Particles
• Atoms are made of smaller objects called subatomic
particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons.
The Structure of an Atom
• All atoms contain at least one proton and electron
and most have neutrons. The protons and neutrons
make up the nucleus and the electrons occupy the
space around.
Atomic Number
• The number of protons in an atom is called the
atomic number.
• All atoms of a particular element have the same
number of protons, so the atomic number can be
used to identify the element.
• The periodic table lists the atomic number above the
symbol for each element
• An atom that does not have an overall charge will
have the same number of protons and electrons.
Mass Number
• Protons and neutrons each weigh roughly 1 amu
and the mass of an electron is negligible in
comparision.
• The total number of protons and neutrons in an
atom is the mass number
Try It!
• Complete the following table assuming neutral
atoms:
Element Atomic Neutrons Protons Electrons Mass
number number
5 11
10 8
N 15
Solution
Element Atomic Neutrons Protons Electrons Mass
number number
B 5 6 5 5 11
O 8 10 8 8 18
N 7 8 7 7 15
2.3 Electron Shells and Valence Electrons
• Electrons are arranged in electron shells or energy
levels
• Each shell has a limit to the number of electrons it
can hold. The farther from the nucleus, the more
electrons the shell can hold
• Electrons prefer to occupy the innermost shells first
since they are attracted to the nucleus
• The ability of an element to form compounds and
the formulas of those compounds are determined by
the number of electrons in the outermost occupied
shells
Diagram of Electron Shells
Electron Arrangements in First Four Electron
Shells
• What would be the electron arrangement of
fluorine?
• Fluorine has 9 electrons
• Shell 1 holds 2 electrons
• Shell 2 holds 8 electrons and we have 7 left (9-
2=7), so Shell 2 has 7 electrons
Try It!
• What is the electron arrangement for an oxygen
atom?
Solution
• What is the electron arrangement for an oxygen
atom?
Shell 1= 2 electrons
Shell 2 = 6 electrons
Electron Arrangements and Similar Chemical
Behavior
Electron arrangements of some elements that have similar
chemical behavior:
Element Shell 1 Shell 2 Shell 3 Shell 4 Shell 5 Shell 6 Shell 7
Li 2 1
Na 2 8 1
K 2 8 8 1
Rb 2 8 18 8 1
Cs 2 8 18 18 8 1
Fr 2 8 18 32 18 8 1
• Elements that show similar chemical behavior have the
same number of outer-shell or valence electrons
Chemical Behavior and Valence Electrons
• Both elements have one valence electron and show
similar chemical behavior
Lewis Structures Show Valence Electrons
• Chemists have devised a way to represent the
number of valence electrons in a simple form called
a Lewis structure or dot structure.
• Don’t pair the dots until you have to.
Li Be B C N O F Ne
2.4 An Introduction to the Periodic Table
Organization of the Periodic Table
• Metals are on the left side and the nonmetals are on
the right. The heavy line represents the
metal/nonmetal border. Metalloids are along this
border.
• The horizontal rows of element are periods and are
numbered from top to bottom
• The vertical columns of elements are groups and
are generally numbered 1-18 across (but this can
vary from one country to another and can involve
the use of letters in designating group numbers)
Transition and Representative Elements
• All elements with the same number of valence
electrons are found in the same group.
• Elements 3-10 and the elements below them are the
representative elements.
• The group numbers (1A-8A, or 1-2, and 13-18) of
the representative elements equal the number of
valence electrons.
• Elements 21 through 30 and the elements below
them are the transition elements.
• For all elements, the period number equals number
of the valence shell.
Groups on the Periodic Table
Named Groups on the Periodic Table
• Alkali Metals—Group 1
• Alkaline earth Metals—Group 2
• Halogens—Group 17
• Noble Gases—Group 18
The periods below the periodic table are the
“Lanthanides” and “Actinides”
The Periodic Table
Helium
Hydrogen
2.5 Isotopes and Atomic Weight
• Atoms of the same element that have different
masses are called isotopes
• The periodic table does not list the individual
isotopes of each element but an average mass of an
atom of the element called the atomic weight or
atomic mass.
• The atomic weight tells us the average mass of an
atom of that element
• Helpful Analogy: The average age of the students in
a class may be 25 even if there are no students with
that exact age.
Isotopes of an Element
Try It!
• Which of the following pairs of atoms are isotopes?
• An atom with seven protons and eight neutrons, and
an atoms with seven protons and seven neutrons
• 14N and 14C
Solution
• Which of the following pairs of atoms are isotopes?
• An atom with seven protons and eight neutrons, and
an atoms with seven protons and seven neutrons
The atoms must be the same element with a different
mass (different number of neutrons) These are the
same element with a different number of neutrons—
Yes, they are isotopes
• 14N and 14C
These are different elements with the same mass—
not isotopes.
2.6 Moles
• 6.022 × 1023 is called Avogadro’s Number, and it is
the value of a mole (mol).
• 1 mol of anything = 6.022 × 1023 anythings
• Like a dozen: 1 dozen of anything = 12 anythings
• A mole is just a convenient way to measure very
small particles, just as a dozen is a convenient way to
measure eggs!
• A dozen watermelon and a dozen apples have a
different mass, just as a mole of fluorine atoms and
a mole of magnesium atoms have a different mass.
Moles and Atomic Weight
• If you measure out enough individual atoms of an
element to weigh its atomic mass, you would always
measure 6.022 × 1023 atoms.
Try It!
• What is the mass of a mole of magnesium and how
many magnesium atoms are there in 1 mole?
Solution
• What is the mass of a mole of magnesium and
how many magnesium atoms are there in 1
mole?
The atomic weight of magnesium is 24.31 amu,
so one mole of magnesium atoms must weigh
24.31 g.
1 mole of magnesium atoms is 6.022 × 1023
magnesium atoms
2.7 Compounds, Chemical Formulas, and Moles
• A chemical formula represents the specific ratio of
atoms of each element required to form a compound
• Rules for writing chemical formulas
• Write the symbol of each element in the compound
• If there is more than one atom of a particular element
in the formula unit, write the number of atoms
immediately after the symbol for the element
Example of Chemical Formulas
Try It!
• Write the chemical formula for a compound that
contains 1 sodium atom, 5 carbon atoms, 8
hydrogen atoms, 1 nitrogen atom, and 4 oxygen
atoms
Solution
• Write the chemical formula for a compound that
contains 1 sodium atom, 5 carbon atoms, 8
hydrogen atoms, 1 nitrogen atom, and 4 oxygen
atoms
NaC5H8NO4
Moles Apply to Compounds
• Formula weight or molecular weight gives the weight
of a single molecule of a compound, which is
calculated by adding the atomic weights of all atoms
present
• Example: What is the formula weight of HF?
• H is 1.008 amu
• F is 19.00 amu
• HF has a formula weight of 1.008 amu + 19.00 amu =
20.008 amu
• Therefore, 1 mol of HF weighs 20.008 g.
• Molar mass of HF is 20.008 g/mol
Try It!
• What is the molar mass of Cu(NO3)2?
Solution
• What is the molar mass of Cu(NO3)2?
1 Cu = 1 × 63.55 = 63.55 amu
2 N = 2 × 14.01 = 28.02 amu
6 O = 6 × 16.00 = 96.00 amu
63.55 amu + 28.02 amu + 96.00 amu = 187.57 amu
Molar mass of Cu(NO3)2 is 187.57 g/mol
A Mole of a Compound
Chapter 2—Key Health Science Notes
• “What are we made of?”
• Atoms, elements, and compounds
• Matter matters!
• Of note, like Chemistry, the Health Sciences have their
own language
• Too much (hyper) or too little (hypo) of an element or
compound can cause chaos in the body.
• The nervous system is most affected by hypernatremia or
hyponatremia (natremia=sodium)
• The cardiac system is most affected by hyperkalemia or
hypokalemia (kalemia=potassium)
• Understanding how and where elements and compounds
work in the body will become basic, yet essential
knowledge as you further your education