Form 6 Unit 1 Chemistry

Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

Discuss the process of theoretical change with respect to

Daltons Atomic Theory
Describe the structure of the atom
Define mass number, isotopes, relative atomic and isotopic
mass based on the 12C scale.

A theory is substituted for those parts of reality that are not yet
discovered/understood and its function is to explain some phenomenon.
Acceptable theories should therefore be:
Logical
There must be a relationship between what is known and the
theoretical constructs
Data collected must be accurate, reliable and replicable
As the body of knowledge increases, theoretical adjustments must be
made to overcome contradictions within the scientific society.
The first useful atomic theory of matter was developed in 1808 by John
Dalton.
Research John Dalton and his theory
Some details of his atomic theory are known to be incorrect, but it is the
basic concepts for foundations of modern science.
Dalton proposed the existence of indivisible particles of matter called atoms.
Daltons Atomic Theory made the following assumptions:
Matter is composed of tiny particles called atoms.
These atoms cannot be created nor destroyed (split) i.e.
indestructible/indivisible
All the atoms of any one (same) element are identical they have the
same mass and chemical properties
Atoms combine chemically in simple and whole number ratios to form
compounds
Atoms can combine in more than one simple whole numbers ratio

Daltons Theory had two major errors:

1) Atoms could be sub-divided into sub-atomic particles (protons,
neutrons, electrons)
2) Atoms can be destroyed by nuclear reactions
N.B. Atoms of the same element are not always identical i.e. isotopes.
Because of these errors, many unexplained chemical phenomena became
clear using his theory. Hence, Daltons theory is considered the basic
concepts of the foundation of modern science.
STRUCTURE OF THE ATOM
Atoms consist of proton, neutrons and electrons. The nucleus consists of
positively charged protons and neutral neutrons (they are held by powerful
nuclear forces). The electrons orbit the nucleus in fixed energy levels called
shells.
Properties of sub-atomic particles
Particle

Symbo
l

Relative
Mass

Relative
Charge

Location

Proton

+1

In nucleus

Neutron

In nucleus

Electron

1/1836

-1

Orbiting nucleus

Behaviour in Electric Fields (Magnetic field)

Field of force associated with electric charge in motion

From the experimental data:

Electrons are deflected at larger angles towards the positive pole
Protons are deflected at smaller angles towards the negative pole
Neutrons showed no deflection
Implications
Charged particles are attracted to the oppositely charged pole
- Electrons are negatively charged particles
- Protons are positively charged particles
- Neutrons do not carry on electric charge and are neutral
Electrons are lighter than protons
* Recall
Important definitions
1) Mass number
- symbol A
- refers to the total number of protons and neutrons in the
nucleus of an atom of an element
- also known as nucleon number
2) Atomic number - symbol Z
- refers to the number of protons in the nucleus of an
atom of an element
- also known as proton number
Points to note about the atomic number of an element
Tells you what the element is
Tells the position of element in the periodic table
For any particular atom, the following standard notation is used to
represent an atom:
Mass Number

Atomic Number

symbol for element

3) Isotopes these are atoms of the same element containing different

number of neutrons and mass number but same atomic number.
e.g.
4) Relative Atomic Mass (Ar) - this is the average mass of the atom of an
element (taking into account all of the isotopes and their abundance)
compared to 1/12 the mass of one atom of C-12.
Calculate the relative atomic mass of an element given isotopic mass and
abundance

e.g. Cl 35 has 75.8% abundance

Cl 37 has 24.2%
Ar = (75.8/100 x 35) + (24.2/100 x 37)
= 35.5
5) Relative Isotopic Mass this is mass of one atom of that isotope
compared to 1/12 the mass of one atom of C-12