Atomic Structure Essay

5/18/2011 Comments: 0

The atomic number of a given element defines the identity of that element. The atomic number
is equal to the number of protons in an atom. The amount of protons in an atom is fixed and
cannot change without changing what element it is an atom of. The atomic mass is a sum of the
number of protons and neutrons in an atom. To figure out how many neutrons in an atom,
subtract the atomic mass from the atomic number. The atomic mass is not fixed because an
atom can gain or give up electrons. An atom has the same number of electrons as protons.
However, as previously mentioned, the number of electrons that an atom has can change. When
an atom gains or loses electrons it becomes an ion. An ion is a charged atom. Ions have a
different number of electrons than normally expected in the atom of that particular element. An
ion is either positively charged (cation) or negatively charged (anion). A cation has less electrons
than protons and therefore, because protons have a positive charge, the ion has a positive
charge. A anion has more electrons than protons and therefore, because electrons have a
negative charge, the ion is more negative. Protons have a positive charge, neutrons have a
neutral charge and electrons have a negative charge. An isotope is an atom that has the same
number of protons as another atom of the same element but has a different number of
neutrons. These two atoms are still the same type of element, only the one with a different
number of neutrons than expected is an isotope. Isotopes can either have more neutrons or less
neutrons than the atom is expected.

Everything on the periodic table that is located to the left of the staircase is a metal, everything
to the right of the staircase is a nonmetal. Elements group on the periodic table from a variety of
properties. The Atomic numbers' and atomic masses of elements on the periodic table increase
from left to right and from top to bottom. The number of orbitals increases from left to right and
is determined by subtracting 10 from the element's group number. Electronegativity increases
from left to right and decreases from top to bottom on the periodic table, however, the noble
gases do not follow this pattern. Atomic size decreases from left to right and increases from top
to bottom. The atomic size does this because the more electronegativity an atom has, the closer
its electrons are pulled in towards the nucleus.

Electronegativity is the ability of an atom to gain and hold onto an electron. Atoms with the
most electronegativity have more valence electrons and less rings. Electronegativity increases
from left to right and decreases from top to bottom. The more rings an atom has, the further the
valence electrons will be from the center of the atom and therefore the less the atom will be
able to attract them in closer to its nucleus, this is why electronegativity decreases from top to
bottom. Atoms have difficulty holding onto electrons the further the electrons get away from the
nucleus. Electronegativity increases from left to right because the amount of valence electrons
that atoms have in each group also increases from left to right. Atoms that are more
electronegative have more valence electrons and fewer atomic shells, or orbitals. Florine is the
most electronegative element.

The Octet Rule is the property of atoms to seek either two or eight electrons. The alkali metals
all have one valence electron and naturally wants to give that valence electron away in order to
have eight electrons in the outer shell. Nonmetals want to receive electrons in order to have
eight valence electrons. In a non-polar-covalent bond, atoms share eight electrons in their outer
shell. In polar covalent bonds, the electrons spend more time around the larger molecule there
fore the end with the larger molecule has a negative polarity. Ionic bonds form when one or
more electron from an atom move to another atom in order to satisfy the octet rule.

Nearly all of the above was taught in class and recorded in my notes, but the most effective tool
for learning it was the periodic table assignment where it was instructed to label trends in the
periodic table. I had been planning on studying in a similar way and ended up including more
information on the back than the assignment required. By using my notes and looking up
anything that I didn't understand on the Internet, I gained a very thorough understanding of the
topic. When I finished labeling trends and adding notes to the back, I felt as though I could still
add a lot more information. This told me that I had learned the material well. At first, the
concept of electronegativity was difficult for me, so when I went home with a free-write
assignment on the topic I had to make sure I had a good understanding of the subject, otherwise
I would be unable to accurately complete the assignment. I watched several videos on youtube
about electronegativity which ended up being a great help. Each video was slightly different and
each had information that the others lacked, so between repetition and the presentation of new
information, I was able to clarify and gain a full understanding of electronegativity. I have used
this technique many times since and have found it to be extremely helpful because I will often
think of questions after I leave class that I would have liked to have known the answer to. All of
these learning strategies have truly helped me to connect the notes and handouts from class to
gain a better understanding of electronegativity and the many other topics that I have learned
about in this unit.

How atoms behave, how they bond and why they bond is an extremely important for
understanding how and why everything happens or will happen. Starting with the smallest
known unit of matter is probably the best way to begin learning about something. As you build
on those smaller units, you begin to see emergent properties that were not present at a smaller
level. For example, the atoms of hydrogen or oxygen in a water molecule have no special
properties on their own, but when they have a polar covalent bond, they now express the
characteristics of adhesion and cohesion. As demonstrated by this example, every aspect of
atomic actions, bonds and trends gives other materials and reactions that we deal with every
day, their properties. Electronegativity is responsible for the occurrence of every chemical
reaction that occurs and is therefore very important for understanding how anything happens
down to its simplest level of existence. Another important connection is the link that I often find
between what I have done in class and my daily activities of another class. For instance, this
semester I am taking Electronics II. It is convenient that at the same time I was learning about
charges (ions) in electric circuits, we talked about ions that same day in Biology. I was really glad
because a lot of times, the things that you learn in one class have no reverence to anything else
in any other class. I felt like I had a good grip on the subject because I was able to use recently
acquired knowledge to my advantage.