Atom

An atom is the smallest constituent unit of ordinary matter that constitutes a chemical element.

Atom is the smallest unit of matter that is composed of a positively charged centre termed as “nucleus”
and the central nucleus is surrounded by negatively charged electrons. Even though an atom is the
smallest unit of matter but it retains all the chemical properties of an element.

Structure of atom

Atoms consist of three basic particles: protons, electrons, and neutrons. The nucleus (center) of the
atom contains the protons (positively charged) and the neutrons (no charge). The outermost regions of
the atom are called electron shells and contain the electrons (negatively charged).

An atom is composed of two regions: the nucleus, which is in the center of the atom and contains
protons and neutrons, and the outer region of the atom, which holds its electrons in orbit around the
nucleus.

Protons and neutrons have approximately the same mass, about 1.67 × 10-24 grams, which scientists
define as one atomic mass unit (amu) or one Dalton.

Each electron has a negative charge (-1) equal to the positive charge of a proton (+1).

Neutrons are uncharged particles found within the nucleus.

atom: The smallest possible amount of matter which still retains its identity as a chemical element,
consisting of a nucleus surrounded by electrons.

proton: Positively charged subatomic particle forming part of the nucleus of an atom and determining
the atomic number of an element. It weighs 1 amu.

neutron: A subatomic particle forming part of the nucleus of an atom. It has no charge. It is equal in
mass to a proton or it weighs 1 amu.

Daltons atomic theory

1) All matter is made of atoms. Atoms are indivisible and indestructible.

2) All atoms of a given element are identical in mass and properties

3) Compounds are formed by a combination of two or more different kinds of atoms.

4) A chemical reaction is a rearrangement of atoms.

5) The atoms of different elements vary in size and mass.

Dalton’s Atomic Theory also suggested that the smallest part of an atom that can take part in a chemical
reaction is an atom. Some postulates of this theory remain valid even in modern chemical thoughts. The
atomic structure model proposed by Dalton has proved to be a stepping stone in chemistry and forms
the base for modern atomic theories and quantum mechanics.

Limitations of Dalton’s Atomic Theory

The main failures of Dalton’s atomic theory are

 It failed to explain how atoms of different elements differ from each other.

 It failed to explain the nature of forces that hold together different atoms in a molecule.

 It failed to explain Gay Lussac’s law of combining volume.

 It could not explain how and why atoms of different elements combine with each other
to form compound atoms or molecules.

 It did not explain any distinction between ultimate particle of an element that takes part
in reactions and ultimate particle that has an independent existence.

Chemical bond

A chemical bond is the physical phenomenon of chemical substances being held together by attraction of
atoms to each other through sharing, as well as exchanging, of electrons -or electrostatic forces.

Bonds are created out of sharing of electrons among atoms. So, there are different types of bonds:

Covalent bond: A chemical bond in which exchange of a pair of electrons between atoms takes place, is
known as a molecular bond or covalent bond.

Eg: H2,Cl2,O2,CH4, CO, CO2

Ionic bond: A chemical bond, wherein whole sole transmission of valence electrons between atoms takes
place is called the ionic bond.

Eg: LiF, LiCl, LiBr, NaCl, NaBr, NaI

Metallic bond: Bond occurring as a result of electrostatic attraction between metallic ions and
conduction electrons.

The examples of metallic bond are iron, cobalt, calcium and magnesium, silver, gold, barium, platinum,
chromium, copper, zinc, sodium, lithium and francium are some of the examples of metallic bonds.
Covalent Bonds:

Chemical bonds are the forces of attraction that tie atoms together. Bonds are formed when valence
electrons, the electrons in the outermost electronic “shell” of an atom, interact. The nature of the
interaction between the atoms depends on their relative electronegativity. Atoms with equal or
similar electronegativity form covalent bonds, in which the valence electron density is shared
between the two atoms. The electron density resides between the atoms and is attracted to both
nuclei. This type of bond forms most frequently between two non- metals.

When there is a greater electronegativity difference than between covalently bonded atoms, the pair
of atoms usually forms a polar covalent bond. The electrons are still shared between the atoms, but
the electrons are not equally attracted to both elements. As a result, the electrons tend to be found
near one particular atom most of the time. Again, polar covalent bonds tend to occur between non-
metals.

Ionic Bonds: Finally, for atoms with the largest electronegativity differences (such as metals bonding
with nonmetals), the bonding interaction is called ionic, and the valence electrons are typically
represented as being transferred from the metal atom to the nonmetal. Once the electrons have
been transferred to the non-metal, both the metal and the non-metal are considered to be ions. The
two oppositely charged ions attract each other to form an ionic compound.onic bonds are a subset
of chemical bonds that result from the transfer of valence electrons, typically between a metal and a
nonmetal.