Biology Chemistry Doccx

Atoms Summary
 Atoms are the building blocks of all matter

 They consist of three sub-atomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons
 Protons and neutrons are found in the nucleus of an atom. Protons have a positive charge, neutrons have no
charge
 Electrons are found in energy levels called shells or orbits around the nucleus. Electrons have a negative
charge
 The charge on the proton and electron are the same size; because they have opposite charges, they attract
each other
 Chemical reactions involve the rearrangement of electrons in the outermost shell
 An element is a substance made up of atoms with the same number of protons
 Elements are the simplest substances known. They can be metals or non-metals
 The periodic table shows elements arranged by their atomic number. The atomic number of an atom tells us
how many protons it has in the nucleus
 Each element has its own name and chemical symbol, characteristic physical and chemical properties.
Elements with similar properties are found in the same column of the periodic table
 The nucleus of an atom contains protons and neutrons
Atoms and Elements

All substances are made of tiny particles called atoms. An element is a substance that is made of only one type
of atom. These are shown in the periodic table, which is a chart with all the elements arranged in a particular
way. Each element has its own name and chemical symbol. Elements have their own characteristic physical and
chemical properties. The horizontal rows in the periodic table are called periods and the vertical columns are
called groups.
The elements in a group have similar properties to each other, for example Group 0 (the column on the far right
of the periodic table) are known as the noble gases, these elements include Helium (He), Neon (Ne) and Argon
(Ar), they are all unreactive gases. The periodic table is divided into non-metals and metals. You can see that
most of the elements are metals.
Atomic Structure
As shown in the diagram below, an atom has a small central nucleus made up of smaller sub-atomic particles
called protons and neutrons. The nucleus is surrounded by even smaller sub-atomic particles called electrons.
Protons and electrons have an electrical charge. Both have the same size of electrical charge, but the proton is
positive and the electron negative. Neutrons are neutral. The number of electrons in an atom is equal to the
number of protons in its nucleus. This means atoms are neutral with overall electrical charge.
Calculations
Each box in the periodic table provides the chemical symbol for an
element, its atomic number, and its mass number. You can use this
information to calculate the number of each subatomic particle in an
atom (i.e. you can work out how many protons, neutrons and electrons
are in each atom of the element).
Looking at the diagram below showing one box from a periodic table
you can see that the symbol for a germanium atom is Ge.
The atomic number tells you that the germanium atom has 32 protons
in the nucleus. It will also have 32 electrons, because the number of
protons and electrons in an atom is the same.
The atomic mass number tells you that the total number of protons and
neutrons in the germanium atom is 74. You can work out the number of
neutrons from the mass number and atomic number. In this example, it
is 74 – 32 = 42 neutrons.
Electronic Structure
The electrons in an atom are arranged in energy levels, these are also called shells or
orbits. Each electron in an atom is found in a particular shell. The innermost shell (lowest DEFINITIONS
Valence Electrons are the
energy level) fills with electrons first. Each shell can only hold a certain number of
electrons of an atom that can
electrons before it becomes full. participate in the formation of
 The first shell can hold a maximum of two electrons chemical bonds with other
 Other shells can hold up to a maximum of 8 electrons (only for the first 20 elements) atoms.
 The outermost shell is also known as the valence shell and electrons that occupy the outermost shell are
also known as valence electrons.
The electronic structure of an atom is written using numbers to represent the electrons in each energy level. For
example, for sodium the electronic structure is 2,8,1 – showing that there are: 2 electrons in the first energy
level, 8 electrons in the second energy level, 1 electron in the third energy level.
The number of occupied shells is the same as the period number (row in the table) and the number of
electrons in the outermost shell (valence shell) is the same as the group number (column in the table).
Drawing Electronic Structure

The electronic structure of an atom can be represented in a simple diagram with circles drawn around a central
nucleus representing the shells and crosses or dots added to each circle to represent the electrons occupying each
shell. Select an element in the periodic table, work out which period (row) it is in, and draw that number of
circles around the nucleus then work out which group the element is in and draw that number of electrons in the
outer circle – with eight for Group 0 elements (except helium). Fill the other circles with as many electrons as
needed, two in the first circle, and eight in the second and third circles. Finally, check that the number of
electrons is the same as the atomic number.
Chemical Reactions Summary

A molecule is the general term used to describe two or more atoms joined together by chemical bonds. The
molecule may be an element (a pure substance made up of only one type of atom) e.g. oxygen gas (O2) or a
compound. Compounds are formed when atoms from two or more different elements react together and are
bonded together e.g. water (H2O) or carbon dioxide (CO2). Compounds usually have different properties from
the elements they contain.
Some atoms are unlikely to react with other atoms, they exist as single atoms. These are the Noble Gases, which
include helium, neon and argon, their atoms have a very stable electron structure because their outer shell
(valence shell) is full. All other atoms react and bond together to become more stable, i.e. they try to create a full
outer shell by gaining, losing or sharing electrons. The bonds that form between atoms usually involve only the
electrons in the outer shell, the valence electrons.
There are two main types of chemical bond that hold atoms together: covalent and ionic bonds.
Ionic Bonds
Atoms can gain or lose electrons from their outer shell (valence shell) in chemical reactions. When they do this,
they form charged particles called ions.
When atoms lose electrons, they form positively charged ions known as cations. When atoms gain electrons to
form negatively charged ions known as anions.
Remember that electrons carry a negative charge and protons (in the nucleus) carry a positive charge.

Biology Chemistry Doccx

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Biology Chemistry Doccx

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Biology Chemistry Doccx

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Atoms Summary

 Atoms are the building blocks of all matter

Atoms and Elements

Drawing Electronic Structure

Chemical Reactions Summary

You might also like