ATOMS & ISOTOPES
Mrs. Page
Chemistry10
Parts of presentation modified from a PowerPoint presentation prepared by
J. Crelling, Southern Illinois University
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• You will be able to define what an isotope is.
• You will be able to determine the number of protons,
neutrons, and electrons in different isotopes of the
same element.
• You will understand that atomic mass
• You will understand what radioactivity is the average of
the naturally occurring isotopes of an element.
• You will be able to give examples of how radioisotopes
are used in industry and medicine.
ATOMS
Contain protons, neutrons, and electrons
Protons & neutrons are found in the nucleus
The nucleus contains most of the mass of an [Link]
atom
Electrons are distributed around the nucleus
in energy levels/shells/orbitals (which make up
the electron cloud)
The outermost electrons in the shell farthest
from the nucleus are called valence electrons
ELECTRONS
First subatomic particle discovered
1897 J.J. Thomson used the cathode ray tube
to discover the electron
Has a negative charge (-1)
Mass = 9.110 x 10-28 g (0.0005 amu)
Electrons are located in energy levels which
make up the electron cloud
Electrons in the outermost energy level are
called valence electrons
Valence electrons are responsible the for the
reactivity of an atom.
PROTON
Observed by E. Goldstein in 1896
Rutherford is given credit for showing that atoms
contain both negatively and positively charged particles
(gold foil experiment)
Has a charge of +1
Relative Mass of 1 AMU (1.673 x 10-24 g)
NEUTRON
Third major subatomic particle
discovered (1932 James
Chadwick)
No charge (neutral)
Relative Mass of 1 AMU (1.675 x
10-24 g)
ISOTOPES
Atoms of the same element have the
same atomic number (# of protons) and
the same chemical properties.
However, atoms of the same element
may have different numbers of neutrons
(and therefore different atomic mass)
Isotopes are atoms of the same element
having different number of neutrons
NATURALLY OCCURRING ISOTOPES
Every element has naturally occurring isotopes
Hydrogen has 3 naturally occurring isotopes
Protium is the most abundant isotope of hydrogen
(99.985%) has 1 proton, 0 neutrons, and 1 electron
Deuterium (0.015%) has 1 proton, 1 neutron, and 1
electron
Tritium (0.0001% ?) has 1 proton, 2 neutrons, and 1
electron
ISOTOPE EXAMPLE
35 Cl 37 Cl
17 17
chlorine - 35 chlorine - 37
ISOTOPES OF CARBON
Naturally occurring carbon consists of three isotopes, 12C, 13C, and 14C. State
the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in each of these carbon
atoms.
12 C 13 C 14 C
6 6 6
#P _______ _______ _______
#N _______ _______ _______
#E _______ _______ _______
SOLUTION
12 C 13 C 14 C
6 6 6
#P __6___ _ 6___ ___6___
#N __6___ _ _7___ ___8___
#E __6___ _ 6___ ___6___
ZINC PROBLEM
An atom of zinc has a mass number of 65.
A. Number of protons in the zinc atom
B. Number of neutrons in the zinc atom
C. What is the mass number of a zinc isotope
with 37 neutrons?
ATOMIC MASS
Na
22.99
Listed on the periodic table
Gives the mass of “average” atom of each element compared to 12C
Average atom based on all the isotopes and their abundance %
Atomic mass is not a whole number … mass number is a whole
number
CALCULATING ATOMIC
MASS
Percent(%) abundance of isotopes
Mass of each isotope of that element
Weighted average =
mass isotope1(%) + mass isotope2(%) + …
100 100
ATOMIC MASS OF MAGNESIUM
Isotopes Mass of Isotope Abundance
Mg
24 = 24.0 amu 78.70%
25 Mg = 25.0 amu 10.13%
26 Mg = 26.0 amu 11.17%
(24)(.787) + (25)(.1013) + 26(.1117) =
18.888 + 2.5325 + 2.9042 = 24.3 amu
ISOTOPES
Two Categories
Unstable – isotopes that continuously and
spontaneously break down/decay in other
lower atomic weight isotopes
Stable – isotopes that do not naturally
decay but can exist in natural materials in
differing proportions
USES OF RADIOISOTOPES
Carbon 14 Dating (Geologic Time)
When the organism dies it stops taking in 14C which disappears as it
decays to 14N
Americum-241 Used in smoke detectors
Cesuim-137 Used to treat cancerous tumors
Californium-252 Used to inspect luggage for explosives
Cobalt-60 Used to sterilize surgical equipment
Iodine-123 Used to treat thyroid disorders
Plutonium-238 Used to power NASA spaceships