Test 1: Elements

SECTION A
Note: Correct answer option is highlighted; solution notes are in red.

1. When describing the sizes of atoms, a very useful unit is the nanometre. Nanometres are one-
thousandth of a micrometer, μm. Most human eyes cannot see objects smaller than the width
of a human hair, which is 50 μm. How can the width of a human hair also be expressed?
A. 5.0 × 10−2 cm
B. 5.0 × 104 nm
C. 0.50 mm
D. 5.0 × 10−6 m
To convert μm to cm, divide by 104. Therefore, 50 μm becomes 0.0050 cm or 5.0 × 10–3cm so option
A is incorrect.
To convert μm to nm, multiply by 103. Therefore, 50 μm becomes 50 000 nm or 5.0 × 104 nm so
option B is correct.
To convert μm to mm, divide by 103. Therefore, 50 μm becomes 0.050 mm so option C is incorrect.
To convert μm to m, divide by 106. Therefore, 50 μm becomes 0.000 050 m or 5.0 × 10–5 m so option
D is incorrect.

2. What is the mass number of an element numerically equal to?

A. The atomic mass of a neutral atom of the element
B. The number of neutrons in a neutral atom of the element
C. The number of protons plus neutrons in a neutral atom of the element
D. The number of electrons in a neutral atom of the element
Mass number measures the ‘heavy’ particles in an atom, so it is, by definition, equal to the number
of protons and neutrons. Electrons, being much lighter, do not affect the mass very much.
Option A is incorrect because the atomic mass is a weighted mean of the masses of naturally
occurring isotopes measured relative to the 12C isotope. It is usually not a whole number.
To find the number of neutrons in a particle (option B), the atomic number (protons) is subtracted
from the mass number (protons + neutrons).
In a neutral atom of an element (option D), the number of electrons matches the number of protons
(the atomic number).

3. What isotopic symbol would an atom containing 40 protons, 51 neutrons and 38 electrons
have?
91
Ca 2+
A. 40
91
Zr
B. 40
91
Ca 2-
C. 40
91
Zr 2+
D. 40

The atomic number equals the number of protons and gives us the symbol of the element. Element
40 is zirconium, Zr.
The mass number equals protons + neutrons, which equals 91. Mass number is shown upper left of
the symbol.

© John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 1

 Test 1: Elements

Since the number of electrons is two fewer than the number of protons, the particle will have a 2+
91
Zr 2+
charge, making it 40 .

4. An atom of element X contains 16 protons and 18 neutrons. What would the mass number of
an atom approximately half as heavy as an atom of X be?
A. 16
B. 17
C. 18
D. 34
The mass number of X would be 16 + 18 = 34, so the mass number of an atom half as heavy would
be 17.

5. The number of electrons and the mass numbers of a series of particles are shown in the
following table. (The symbols used, U to Z, are not the correct symbols for the elements.)

Particle Electrons Mass number

U 12 24

V– 10 19

W+ 10 23

X 10 20

Y2+ 10 24

Z 10 22

Which two particles are different isotopes of the same element?

A. X and Z
B. U and Y
C. W and Y
D. V and X
Isotopes of the same element have the same atomic number (number of protons) but differing
numbers of neutrons leading to differing mass numbers.
In option A, both elements X and Z have 10 electrons and, therefore, 10 protons since they are
neutral. They are the same element. X has a lower mass number than Z so they are isotopes of each
other.
U has 12 electrons and is neutral, so it has an atomic number of 12 (like Mg).
V– has 10 electrons and a negative charge, meaning that it has only 9 protons (like F).
W+ has 10 electrons but a positive charge, so it has 11 protons.
Y2+ has 10 electrons and a 2+ charge, meaning that it has 12 protons like U; however, both U and Y2+
have the same mass number so they are the same isotope.

6. Which list of subshells is ranked in order of increasing energy?

A. 2s < 2p < 4p < 3d
B. 1s < 2p < 3d < 4s
C. 1s < 1p < 1d < 1f

2
 Test 1: Elements

D. 2s < 3p < 3d < 4p

The order of subshells up to the 4p subshell is 1s<2s<2p<3s<3p<4s<3d<4p.

3
 Test 1: Elements

7. The electronic structure of an excited atom is 1s22s22p53s23p13d1. What is this an atom of?
A. Mg
B. Sc
C. Al
D. P
This particle has a total of 13 electrons, found by counting the superscripts in the electron
configuration. Since it is excited, the sixth 2p electron has made a transition to the higher 3d
subshell.
Option A is incorrect because Mg has only 12 electrons.
Option B is incorrect because it has 21 electrons (although it would have an electron in the 3d
subshell.)
Option D is incorrect because P has 15 electrons.

8. What is the maximum number of electrons that can occupy an orbital in the 4p subshell of an
atom?
A. 2
B. 6
C. 8
D. 10
The 4p subshell comprises three p orbitals, which can hold up to two electrons each, so the
maximum number of electrons is 3 × 2 = 6.
Note that the 4 in 4p corresponds to the shell number and not the number of orbitals in the
subshell.

9. Which of the following ground-state, outer sub-shell electron configurations represents the
electron arrangement of an element in group 14?
A. 2s22p2
B. 3p4
C. 4s24p6
D. 3s23p63d4
Elements in group 14 have four outer shell electrons. This corresponds to s2p2 for a particular shell.
3p4 is incorrect because an element with four electrons in the p subshell would also have two
electrons in the 3s subshell, making a total of six outer shell electrons.
4s24p6 corresponds to eight electrons in the outer shell.
For 3s23p63d4, the 4s orbital would also need to be filled because 4s is filled before 3d.

10. What information about the structure of the hydrogen atom can be gained from its emission
spectrum?
A. Most of the mass of an atom is in its nucleus.
B. The electron in a hydrogen atom may exist in any of several energy levels.
C. A hydrogen atom (1H) contains one proton, one neutron and one electron.
D. The electron in a hydrogen atom is held near the nucleus.
An emission spectrum gives information about the energy released as excited electrons make
transitions to lower energy levels; hence, they give information about the energy levels for electrons
in hydrogen.

4
 Test 1: Elements

SECTION B
Note: Answers are highlighted; solution notes are in red.

1.
(a) Convert the following:
(i) 63 mm = 0.063 m
To convert from 𝜇g to g, divide by 106.
(ii) 1200 𝜇g = 1.200 × 10–3 or 0.0012 g
To convert from 𝜇g to g, divide by 106.
(iii) 2.5 Mg = 2.5 × 109 mg
To convert from Mg (megagrams) to mg (milligrams), multiply by 10 9.
(3 marks)
(b) A particular bacterium has a diameter of 1.5𝜇m. A virus is much smaller, typically around
150 nm. How many viruses can fit across the diameter of a bacterium? 10
1500 nm
= 10
1.5𝜇m = 1500 nm. 150 nm
(1 mark)
(c) Rank the following lengths in order from smallest to biggest.
22mm 220 nm 0.0022 m 2.2 × 10–4 km
220 nm < 0.0022 m < 22 mm < 2.2 × 10 –4 km
Converting all to metres gives 22 mm = 0.022 m, 220 nm = 2.20 × 10 –7 m, 2.2 × 10–4 km =
0.22 m
(1 mark)
2. Complete the following table.

Symbol of atom Number of

or ion Protons electrons Neutrons
17
O 8 8 9
8
79
Se2- 34 36 45
34
108
Sb3+ 51 48 57
51

Note that the number of neutrons equals the mass number – the atomic number.
A 2– ion has two more electrons than protons.
A 3+ ion has three fewer electrons than protons.
(3 × 1 = 3 marks)

3. Write the subshell ground-state electron configurations for the following.

(a) Bromine, Br 1s22s22p63s23p63d104s24p5 (35 electrons)
(b) Bromide ion, Br− 1s22s22p63s23p63d104s24p6 (36 electrons)
(c) Cobalt, Co 1s22s22p63s23p63d74s2 (27 electrons) Even though the 4s subshell is filled before
the 3d subshell, the convention is to write the configuration in increasing shells
(d) Cobalt(II) ion, Co2+ 1s22s22p63s23p63d7 Two electrons are lost from the outer shell (shell 4).
Total is 25 electrons.
(e) Copper, Cu (note that this has an atypical configuration) 1s22s22p63s23p63d104s1 In this
atypical configuration, it is more stable to have the 3d subshell filled and the 4s subshell
half-filled.
(5 marks)

5
 Test 1: Elements

4.

5. M atch the configuration to the description.

Configuration Description

1s 2s 2p 3s 3p 3d 4s
2 2 6 2 5 10 3
An electron configuration that is incorrect

1s 2s 2p 3s 3p 4s
2 2 5 2 5 1
Excited-state configuration of a potassium ion

1s 2s 2p 3s 3p
2 2 5 2 6
Ground-state configuration of a sulfide ion

1s 2s 2p 3s 3p 3d 4s 4p
2 2 6 2 6 10 2 3
Ground-state configuration of an arsenic atom

The first configuration is incorrectly written because the 4s subshell cannot hold more than two
electrons.
The second configuration represents a potassium, K +, ion. These only have 18 electrons. It is
‘excited state’ since an electron is in the 4s subshell while the 3p subshell is unfilled.
A ground-state sulfide, S2–, electron has 18 electrons filled in the correct order.
A ground-state arsenic atom has 33 electrons filled in the correct order.
(4 marks)
6. Isoelectronic elements have the same electron configuration.
(a) From the following list, circle all that would have the electron configuration
1s22s22p63s23p6.
sulfide ion sodium ion calcium ion argon bromide ion
Circled particles are sulfide ion, calcium ion, and argon only. All these have 18 electrons.
(b) Name an atom that is isoelectronic to the Be2+ ion. Helium
(c) How many valence electrons does a bromide ion have? Eight
Most atoms studied here will form ions that will result in a stable octet (that is, eight
electrons in the valence shell).
(3 marks)

7. Match each of the terms below with its correct definition.

Term Definition

Atomic number The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom

Mass number The number of protons and neutrons (nucleons) in the nucleus of an
atom

Isotopes Atoms with the same number of protons but different numbers of
neutrons

Shell A collection of energy levels or subshells with slightly different

energies

Orbital A region of space in which electrons can move

6
 Test 1: Elements

Pauli exclusion An orbital can contain only zero, one or two electrons
principle

(6 × 1 = 6 marks)
8. When sodium atoms are excited by heating in a flame or in an electrical discharge, light is
emitted. Examination of the light shows it to consist of only the following wavelengths: 330.2,
330.3, 568.3, 568.8. 589.0 and 589.6 nm.
(a) Describe what happens when the electrical discharge or flame passes through
the sodium. Give electronic configurations to support your answer.
One or more electrons in sodium will gain energy and make a transition to a higher
energy level (1 mark); for example, 1s22s22p63s1 →1s22s22p53s2 (1 mark).
Other excited electron configurations are possible.
(b) (i) Explain why an excited atom emits light.
Energy in the form of light is emitted as excited electrons return to lower energy
levels.
(ii) Explain why only particular wavelengths are emitted.
The energies emitted correspond to the differences between the energy levels of
the sodium atom.
(2 + 1 + 1 = 4 marks)