Atomic Structure

-
What is the charge of the
nucleus of an atom?
Positive/ Negative / Neutral + n
n + Arrangement of electrons
What is the overall charge 1st shell – 2
of an atom? 2nd shell – 8
Positive/ Negative / Neutral - 3rd shell – 8

Note: The term ‘valence’ means outermost

Valence electrons means the electrons in the outermost shell.
Valence shell means the outermost shell.

Particle Symbol Relative mass Relative charge

Proton p 1 +1
Neutron n 1 0
Electron e 1/1840 –1

Isotopes

Definition:

Isotopes are atoms of the same element with the same number of protons and electrons,
but different numbers of neutrons.

Example:
Similarities and differences between Chlorine-35 and Chlorine-37 atoms
Chlorine-35 Chlorine-37
proton 17 17
neutron 18 20
electron 17 17
mass no. 35 37

The atoms have same number of protons and electrons, but different numbers of
neutrons.
Chlorine-35 and chlorine-37 atoms have 17 protons and 17 electrons.
Chlorine-35 atom has 18 neutrons whereas chlorine-37 atom has 20 neutrons.
 Physical properties Chemical properties
Different Similar
Explain why
different atomic masses same number of electrons
result in different densities, only electrons involved in
melting and boiling points chemical reactions

Example: Relative atomic mass of chlorine

The relative abundance of Chlorine-35 is 75% and the relative abundance of
Chlorine-37 is 25%.
75 25
x 35 + 100 x 37 = 35.5
100

Hence, the average mass is 35.5.

Ions

Why do atoms form ions?

Most atoms are unstable (Except for Group 0). Hence, the atoms need to achieve
stable electronic structure/ complete valence shell.

How do atoms form ions?

Metal atom Non-metal atom

Lose electrons Gain electrons
Form positive ions/ cation Form negative ions/ anion

Note: How to determine the charge of an ion?

Charge of ions:
Grp I – 1+
Grp II – 2+
Grp III – 3+
Grp V – 3-
Grp VI – 2-
Grp VII – 1-
Periodic Table

Proton number/
number of neutrons =
mass number – proton number 11 Atomic number

Na number of protons =
number of electrons
Mass number/ Sodium
Nucleon number/
23
Relative atomic mass

The elements are arranged in increasing proton number.

Period (Horizontal) Group (Vertical)

Tells the number of electron Tells the number of valence
shell electron
For example, sodium has the electronic configuration 2,8,1.

Found in Period 3 because it Found in Group I because it

contains 3 electron shells contains 1 valence electron
Model answer for common questions

Question 1
The table below shows the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in the
particles A, B, C, D, E and F.

Particle Number of Number of Number of

protons neutrons electrons
A 2 2 2
B 8 8 10
C 17 20 17
D 15 16 15
E 17 18 17
F 19 20 18
G 8 8 8

(a) Which particle is a positively charged ion? ………………

(b) Which two particles are atom and ion of the same element?

……………… and ………………

(c) Which two particles are isotopes of the same element?

……………… and ………………

(d) Which particle is placed in Group V? ………………

Question 2
Compare the masses and compare the electrical charges of a proton and neutron.

Answer
The mass of a proton and the mass of a neutron is the same, which is one unit
mass.
The electrical charges of a proton and a neutron are different, the electrical charges
of a proton is +1, whereas the electrical charges of a neutron is 0.

Question 3
Explain why an atom is overall neutral.

Answer
The number of protons is the same as the number of electrons, hence the positive
charges from the protons will balance out the negative charges from the electrons.
Question 4
An inspection of the electronic structure of an element’s atom can give its group and
period.
Hence, use the electronic structure of an atom of sodium to determine the position of
sodium in the Periodic Table. Explain your answer.

Answer
Sodium has the electronic structure 2, 8, 1.
Sodium is in Group I because sodium has 1 valence electron.
Sodium is in Period 3 because sodium has 3 occupied electron shells.

Question 5
12 14
Carbon has two isotopes and the symbol for these two isotopes are 6𝐶 and 6𝐶 .

Describe the similarities and differences in the atomic structure and electronic
structure of these two atoms.

Answer
Carbon-12 and carbon-14 have the same number of protons, which is …. protons.
Carbon-12 and carbon-14 have the different number of neutrons. Carbon-12 has ….
neutrons whereas Carbon-14 has …. neutrons.

Carbon-12 and carbon-14 have the same number of electrons, which is …. electrons.
The electronic arrangement for both isotopes are ………...

Question 6
Not all nitrogen atoms are identical. Nitrogen atoms can have different masses, but all
nitrogen atoms have the same chemical properties. Explain why.

Answer
Nitrogen can have different masses because some nitrogen atoms have different
number of neutrons. And this results in nitrogen atoms having different physical
properties, such as densities, melting points, boiling points.

All nitrogen atoms have the same chemical properties because all nitrogen atoms
have 7 electrons, and the electrons determines the chemical properties of the atoms.