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Lesson Outline
What is an atom?
An atom is the smallest indivisible particle of an
element that can take part in a chemical reaction.
Each element is made up of its own type of
atoms.
Atoms of the same element have the same size
and mass. The atoms of different elements are of
different size and mass.
Subatomic particles
Atoms are made up of 3 subatomic particles:
Proton
Neutron
Electron
Protons and neutrons
(nucleons) reside in the
nucleus.
Electrons are found around the
nucleus in electron shells.
Subatomic particles
Particle
Symbol
Relative
Charge
Proton
1+
(positive)
1.67 X 10-
0
(neutral)
1.67 X 10-
1(negative
)
9.11 X 10-
Neutron
Electron
n
e
Mass / kg Relative
Mass
1
27
27
31
Atomic number
Atomic number is also known as the
proton number.
Tells us the number of protons an atom of
an element contains.
Unique for every element, thus it gives an
atom its identity.
For an atom,
Number of protons = number of electrons
As such, atoms are electrically neutral.
Mass number
Mass number is also known as the nucleon
number.
Tells us the number of protons and
neutrons an atom of an element contains.
Number of neutrons = Mass number
Proton number
The mass of the entire atom is largely
attributed to the presence of protons and
neutrons in the nucleus, as electrons have
a negligible mass.
Go
Figure!
The element is aluminium.
27
Al
13
Isotopes
Isotopes are atoms of the same element
with different number of neutrons.
Hydrogen,
H
Deuterium,
D
Tritium, T
Isotopes
Isotope
Common name
Mass number
Atomic number
Number
of
neutrons
Oxygen
Oxygen-16 (99.76%)
Oxygen-17 (0.04%)
Oxygen-18 (0.2%)
Chlorine
Chlorine-35 (75.0%)
Chlorine-37 (25.0%)
Silicon
Silicon-28 (92.2%)
Silicon-29 (4.7%)
Silicon-30 (3.1%)
35.5
Cl
17
Isotope
Relative
abundance
Chlorine-35
Chlorine-37
75%
25%
Periodic Table
The elements in the Periodic Table are
arranged in order of atomic/proton number.
The vertical columns of elements in the
Periodic Table are called groups of elements.
Roman numerals must be used to write
group numbers, e.g. Group I, Group IV,
Group VII.
Periodic Table
Group I
Proton Electronic
numb configuration
er
Number of
valence
electrons
Lithium
Sodium
11
Potassiu 19
m
Periodic Table
The horizontal rows of the elements in
the Periodic Table are called periods of
elements.
All elements in the same period have
the same number of occupied electron
shells.
The period number is given by the
Period 2
Li
Be
B
C
N
O
number of occupied electron shells.
Ne
Proton number
10
Electronic
configuration
duplet configuration
2
2.8
2.8.8
octet configuration
2.8.18.8
2.8.18.18.8
2.8.18.32.18.8
Ions
Atoms
Atoms have equal number
of protons and electrons.
They are electrically
neutral.
Electron
Nucleus
Proton
Neutron
Electron
shell
Ions
Think: Which subatomic
particle is most
vulnerable?
Electrons are very small
and fast moving. They
are found around in
regions around the
nucleus. Electrons can
be easily lost or gained.
On the other hand,
protons and neutrons
are found within the
nucleus of the atom.
Ions
An ion is formed when an atom or a
group of atoms loses or gains
electron(s), such that it acquires an
electrical charge.
Atoms lose or gain electrons to obtain
the duplet or octet configuration in
order to achieve greater stability.
The process of atoms losing or gaining
electrons form the basis for chemical
reactions.
Isoelectronic species
Any atom or ions with the same electronic
configuration are said to be isoelectronic.
Examples:
Species
Number of
electrons
Electronic
configuration
FNe
Mg2+
S2Ar
K+
Sc3+
10
18