PT Activity 4: The Atomic Nucleus

The Interior Structure of the Atom

You have started to discover the world of the atom through
studying macroscopic properties such as mass and
various properties of elements. We will focus much of our
study on the chemistry and structure of the electrons, but
first we will turn our attention to the dense mass with in the
middle of the atom – the nucleus.
Many of you have questioned the atomic mass numbers
found on your periodic table. Well, today, you are going to
discover why those numbers are not whole numbers! It
has to do with the concept of isotopes: atoms of the same
element that contain a different number of neutrons. At
th
the beginning of the 19 century, John Dalton proposed a
new atomic theory – all atoms of the same element are
identical to one another and equal in mass. It was a
simple yet revolutionary theory. It was also not quite right.
th
The discovery of radioactivity at the beginning of the 20
century made it possible to study the actual structure and
mass of atoms. Gradually, evidence began to build that
atoms of the same element could have different masses,
such as the two carbon nuclei presented in Figure 3b.1.
These atoms were called isotopes. Through the study of
this activity, you will begin to dive into the world of the Fig 4.1
nucleus and answer: How are isotopes distinguished from
one another; what is the relationship between the atomic mass of an element and the mass of each
isotope; how and when is the nucleus involved in chemical changes?

P
P R E P A R I N G

WHAT DO YOU THINK? • LE ARNING OBJECTIVES

One of the most important things we can do to learn chemistry is identify misconceptions. Think of Fish is
Fish – I don’t want you to leave here thinking a cow looks like a fish with spots, scary seaweed in its
mouth, and a big pink bag hanging off of it! The first step to correcting misconceptions is to think about
what you know. In your laboratory notebook:

1. Answer: If there are only three isotopes of hydrogen (with 0, 1, or 2 neutrons each with one
proton), why isn’t the atomic mass simply 2.000?
2. Answer: If protons are positive and neutrons neutral, why does the nucleus stay together if “like
charges” repel?
3. Write the objectives for doing this activity:
• Identify the composition of atoms and their isotopes in terms of the numbers of protons,
neutrons, and electrons.
• Use atomic symbols to represent different atoms and their isotopes.
• Calculate atomic masses with isotope data

Based on Active Chemistry, Periodic Table & Flinn Chem Topics

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E
E X P E R I M E N T I N G

OVERVIEW • BE ANIUM • ATOMIC FORCES

Part A: Overview of the Atom & Its Symbols

From the perspective of a chemist, the entire world is composed of atoms, and atoms are composed of
protons, neutrons and electrons. Protons and neutrons are about 2,000 times heavier than an electron.
A proton has a charge of +1, a neutron has no charge, and an electron has a charge of -1. The nucleus
is very dense and very small compared to the entire atom.
The properties of atoms are determined by the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons that they
contain. Atoms with the same number of protons but different number of neutrons are called isotopes of
an element.

The isotopic notation for an atom includes the following information: symbol of the element, the element’s
atomic number (Z) which specifies the number of protons in the nucleus, and the mass number (A) which
indicates the number of protons plus neutrons in the nucleus. [The number of electrons in a neutral atom
is equal to the number of protons in the nucleus of the atom. The mass contributed by the electrons in an
atom is very small, so it is not included when calculating the mass number.]

Atomic Symbol Notation

A Mass Number
X Atomic Symbol
Z Atomic Number

Relative
Particle Symbol Charge Absolute Mass Relative Mass
Electron e- -1 9.109 X 10-31 Kg 0
Proton p+ +1 1.673 X 10-27 Kg 1
Neutron n0 0 1.675 X 10-27 Kg 1

Model: Two Isotopes of Sodium

The diagrams below show representations of sodium isotopes. [Note: the diameter of an atom is about
10,000 times larger than the diameter of the atomic nucleus, so the relative sizes of the atom and the
nucleus are not accurately depicted in these diagrams.]

23 Nucleus – a tiny dot

Isotope 1 Na (11 protons, 12 neutrons)
11
11 electrons

24 Nucleus – a tiny dot

Isotope 2 (11 protons, 13 neutrons)
Na
11 11 electrons

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After reading the information above, answer the following questions in your laboratory notebook.
1. What information is provided by the atomic number, Z?
2. What information is provided by the mass number, A?
3. Use a periodic table to fill in the missing information in the following table.

Atomic Mass Number of Number of

Name Symbol Number Z Number A Neutrons Electrons
16
oxygen 8O 8 16 8 8

7 7

34
16S 18

1 0

1 3

12 24

12 25

238 92

84
36Kr 84 36

Part B: Beanium
You will now use beans to represent atoms of the same element. The objective here is to gain a better
understanding of how knowing how the mass numbers which appear on the periodic table are calculated.
1. Please note that we are only studying one element here: Beanium (Bg). Each different type of
bean represents a different isotope of beanium. Determine the number of isotopes of beanium
based upon the appearance (size, color, etc.). Draw a quick picture of each isotope in the
observations half of your entry.
2. Sort the beanium atoms into groups based on appearance. Each group represents a different
isotope. Count the total number of atoms of each isotope and record the result in your
observations half. Add those numbers to get the total number of atoms in your sample. Record
the total.
3. Determine the abundance of each isotope using the formula below:
n
abundance =
N
The quantity n equals the number of atoms of each isotope; N equals the total number of atoms.
Record the results in your observation half of your entry.

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 4. Using the centigram balance, measure the total mass of all of the atoms of each isotope to a
hundredth of a gram. Record these masses.
5. Find the mass of a typical atom of each isotope by dividing the total mass by the number of atoms
of that isotope. Record this result.
6. Multiply the abundance of each isotope by its mass to find the product and record the result in
grams (g).
7. Add the products from 6 to find the “atomic mass” of the element, beanium. Record this value, a
result of the weighted average of the isotopes of beanium.
8. Put all of the “beanium atoms” on the balance at once. Measure their mass. Record the result in
the observations portion of your entry.
9. From step 2, you should have the total number of beanium atoms already counted. Find the
average mass of “beanium” by dividing the mass of all of the “beanium atoms” by the number of
“beanium atoms.” Record the value, a result of the average of the isotopes of beanium.

Part C: Forces in the Atom

There are two very different forces acting on the electrons, protons, and neutrons in the atom – Coulomb
electrostatic forces and strong, nuclear forces. In order to better understand the atom and all of its
reactions, you must understand these forces.
1. Cut two strips of transparent tape about 12 cm long. Bend one end of each strip under to form a
tab. Place one strip stick-side down on a table and label the tab “B” for “bottom.” Place the other
strip sticky-side down on top of the first strip and label the tab “T” for “top.”
2. Peel off the top strip, using the tab, with one hand and then pick up the bottom strip with the other
hand. Hold both strips apart, allowing them to hang down.
3. Slowly bring the hanging strips toward each other, but do not let them touch.
a. Record your observations.
b. If the strips accelerated toward or away from each other, Newton’s Second Law tells you
that there must be a force. Is the force between the two strips of tape attractive or
repulsive?
4. Make a second set of strips as in Step 1. Predict what you think will happen if the two top strips
are picked up, one from each set and brought toward each other. Record your prediction in your
laboratory journal.
a. Pick up the two top strips by the tabs, allowing both strips to hang down. Slowly bring
them toward each other.
b. Record your observations. Was the force attractive or repulsive? Explain.
5. Predict what you think will happen if the two bottom strips of tape are picked up and brought
toward each other. Record your prediction.
a. Pick up the two bottom strips by the tabs, allowing both strips to hang down. Slowly bring
them toward each other.
b. Record your observations. Was the force attractive or repulsive? Explain.
6. The two different strips of tape have different charges. The top strips have a positive electric
charge. They have lost some of their electrons. Since the number of protons has remained the
same, the strips are positive. The bottoms strips have a negative charge. The bottoms strips
have gained some electrons. Since the number of protons has remained the same, the strips are
negative. The force between the strips is called the electric force.
a. Is the force between two positive strips repulsive or attractive? Use evidence to justify
your answer in the observation half of your entry.
b. Is the force between two negative strips repulsive or attractive? Use evidence to justify
your answer in the observation half of you entry.

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 c. When a positive and a negative strip come near each other, is the force attractive or
repulsive? Justify your answer in the observation half of your entry.
7. The nucleus has a positive charge due to all of the protons there. The electrons surrounding the
nucleus have negative charges.
a. What kind of electric force (attractive or repulsive) exists between the nucleus of an atom
and any of one of the atom’s electrons?
b. What kind of electric force (attraction or repulsion) exists between pairs of protons in the
nucleus?
8. The nucleus is a very crowded place. The protons in the nucleus are very close to one another.
If these protons are repelling each other by an electrostatic force (and they are!), there must be
another force, an attractive force, that keeps them there. The attractive force is the nuclear force,
also called the strong force. This force is much stronger than the electric force. It acts between
pairs of protons, pairs of neutrons, and protons and neutrons. The electron is not affected by the
nuclear force. Copy and complete the table below in your laboratory journal. The first row has
been completed for you.Table 1: Forces in an Atom
Subatomic Particles Coulomb Electrostatic Force Strong, Nuclear Force
electron-proton

electron-neutron

proton-proton

proton-neutron

neutron-proton

9. If the nucleus were too large, the protons on one side of the nucleus are too far away to attract
the protons on the other side of the nucleus. The protons can still repel one another since the
coulomb electrostatic force is long-range. The repulsive electrostatic force wins and the nucleus
won’t form. A large nucleus will break apart when the electrostatic repulsion between the protons
is too great.
The repulsion pushes the fragments of the nucleus apart, releasing a great amount of energy.
This process of splitting an atom into smaller atoms is called fission. It occurs in uranium when
an additional neutron is added and causes instability.
One example of the fission process can be represented as follows:
→
235 1 94 139 1
92U + 0n 36Kr + 56Ba + 3 0n + energy
a. Is the mass number conserved on both sides of the reaction? What is the total mass
number on each side? (Answer each question in the observations half of your notebook –
summarize the question in the experimenting half of your entry.)
b. Is the atomic number conserved on both sides of the reaction? What is the total atomic
number on each side?
c. Why does the neutron have a mass number of one (1)?
d. Why is the atomic number of a neutron equal to zero (0)?
10. Small nuclei can also combine to form a larger nucleus and release energy. This process is
called fusion.

Based on Active Chemistry, Periodic Table & Flinn Chem Topics

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A
A N A L Y Z I N G

RE ADING • QUESTIONS

Reading: The Atomic Nucleus

Read ChemTalk on pages 82 – 88 in Active Chemistry. Use the Chem Words and Checking Up boxes
to guide your reading.

Questions: The Atomic Nucleus

1. What is the relationship between the number of protons and the number of electrons in an atom?
2. Because of the relationship between the number of protons and the number of electrons in a
neutral atom, what is the electrical charge of an atom?
3. Where are the protons and neutrons located in an atom?
4. What do the two sodium isotopes shown in the model have in common with each other?
5. How do the two sodium isotopes shown in the model differ from each other?
6. What distinguishes an atom of one element from an atom of another element?
-15
7. The radius of a Cl nucleus is 4.0 fm, and the radius of a Cl atom is 100 pm. (1 fm = 1 X 10 m; 1
-12
pm = 1 X 10 m.) How many times larger is the diameter of the chlorine atom than the diameter
of the chlorine nucleus?
8. How many times larger is the volume of the atom than the volume of the nucleus?
9. Identify two objects that have this same ratio of lengths from #7 or volumes from #8
10. Based on your experience in Part B, how are atomic masses calculated – through weight
averages or total averages? How do you know?
11. The isotopes of magnesium (and their percent abundance) are Mg-24 (79.0%), Mg-25 (10.0%),
and Mg-26 (11.0%). Calculate the atomic mass of magnesium. Note: To one decimal place, the
mass of each isotope is equal to the mass number. Thus, the mass of an atom of Mg-24 is 24.0
amu.
12. Copper (atomic mass 63.5) occurs in nature in the form of two isotopes, Cu-63 and Cu-65. Use
this information to calculate the percent abundance of each copper isotope.
13. Neutrons can be used to bombard the nucleus of an atom like uranium. Why would it be more
difficult to inject the nucleus of uranium with a proton?
14. Complete the following reaction:
→
215 1 94 1
92U + 0n 38Sr + _________ + 2 0n

15. Radon is a threat to the well-being of people in their homes because it emits radioactive particles
at a significant rate. Complete the following radioactive decay equation:
→
222 218
86Rn 84Po + ________

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 C R I T I C A L L Y T H I N K I N G

CT ME AN? • KNOW? • BELIEVE? • CARE?

What does the activity mean?

Chemistry explains the macroscopic phenomenon (what you observe) with and explanation of what
happens at the nanoscopic level (atoms and molecules) using symbolic structures as a way to
communicate. Explain the meaning of this activity by completing the MNS table.

MACRO NANO SYMBOLIC

What, if anything, can we observe that
indicates the presence of isotopes?
Based on your experience in this
activity and your readings, explain why
a helium atom is able to exist. In other
words, what keeps the 2 electrons, 2
protons, and 2 neutrons together?
Compare and contrast Cl-35 and Cl-
37. How do we write these using the
atomic number and atomic mass
number?

How do I know?
Making specific reference to your data in part B, what do we need to know to determine the average
atomic mass of an element?

Why do I believe?
How does this connect to the data collected in Activity 3: Atoms and their Masses? How can we take
the data from Atoms and their Masses to determine the atomic mass of copper or aluminum?

Why do I care?
Understanding how the modern periodic table is organized is very important in successfully
completing the challenge. The periodic table is ordered by atomic number, which corresponds to the
number of protons in the element. How do you know that it should not be ordered by the atomic
mass? What evidence from this lab and from the periodic table itself indicates this was not the way to
organize the periodic table?

Based on Active Chemistry, Periodic Table & Flinn Chem Topics

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