The Atom

What is • anything that has

Matter? mass and takes up
space

• matter is made up
of atoms
 How Small are Atoms?
• It would take a stack of about 50,000 aluminum atoms
to equal the thickness of a sheet of aluminum foil from
your kitchen
• If you could enlarge a penny until it was as wide as
the US, each of its atoms would be only about 3 cm in
diameter – about the size of a ping pong ball
• A human hair is about 1 million carbon atoms wide
• A typical human cell contains roughly 1 trillion atoms
• A speck of dust might contain 3x1012 (3 trillion) atoms
• It would take you around 500 years to count the
number of atoms in a grain of salt
 Results
• How many cuts were we able to make?
• Do you think we could keep cutting the
paper forever? Why or why not?
• You would have to cut the paper in half
around thirty-one (31) times to get to the
size of any atom.
 • the smallest unit into which
What is an Atom? matter can be divided

• building blocks of all

matter

• comprised of a nucleus (at

it’s center) and an electron
cloud (surrounding the
nucleus)

• made up of sub-atomic
particles
What are Subatomic • smaller than an atom
• protons
Particles? • neutrons
• electrons
Early Atom Models: • mostly empty space
What is the
Rutherford Model? • small, positive
nucleus

• contained protons
and electrons
scattered around the
outside
Early Atom Models:
What is the Bohr
Model?

• electrons move in
definite orbits
around the nucleus
 Modern Atom
Model: What is the • sometimes called
The Electron the wave model
Cloud Model?
• spherical cloud of
varying density

• varying density
shows where an
electron is more or
less likely to be
What are • positively charged
particles (+)
Protons? - -
- • help make up the
++ + nucleus of the atom
- + + + -
+ +
- • equal to the atomic
- -
number of the
atom

• contribute to the

+
atomic mass

• equal to the
number of
electrons
What are • neutral
particles;
Neutrons? have no
- - electric
- charge
++ +
- + + + -
+ + • help make up
-
the nucleus of
- -
the atom

• contribute to
the atomic
mass
What are • negatively charged
Electrons? particles (-)

- - • found outside the

- nucleus of the atom in
++ + the electron
- + + + - orbits/levels
+ +
-
• each orbit/level can
- - hold a maximum
number of electrons
• 1st orbital = 2 electrons

-
• 2nd orbital = 8 electrons
• 3rd orbital = 8 electrons
What are • move so rapidly
Electrons? around the nucleus
that they create an
- -
electron cloud
-
++ + • mass is insignificant
- + + + - when compared to
+ + protons and neutrons
-
- - • equal to the number
of protons

- • involved in the
formation of chemical
bonds
 • found in the
What are Valence outermost energy
Electrons? level of the electron
cloud (called the
valence shell)

• involved in bonding

• determine the
chemical properties
of an element
How is the Atom’s Center Formed?
Protons and neutrons are grouped together to
form the “center” or nucleus of an atom
Notice that the electrons are not apart of the nucleus

-
+
- -
+ +
-
Atomic Structure
How are Atoms • atomic number =
Described? number of protons

• in a neutral atom, the

# of protons = the #
of electrons

• atomic mass= the

number of protons +
the number of
neutrons
What is Atomic • the number of
Number? protons in the
- nucleus of an
atom

+ -

-
++
What would be the atomic
number of this atom?

What is the Atomic
Mass?
What would be the atomic
mass of this atom?
• the total number of protons
and neutrons in an atom’s
nucleus
• expressed in Atomic Mass
Units (amu)
– each proton or neutron
has a mass of 1 amu
-

+ 3
 4
+
++
-
3 protons + 4 neutrons =
an atomic mass of 7 amu

Why did we not account for the -

electrons when calculating the
mass number?
 Hydrogen (H) Atom
• Let’s use the Bohr Model to sketch a hydrogen
atom.
• notice the one electron in the first orbital
-
+ =1

=0
+
- =1

P = Atomic # =
E=P=
N = Atomic Mass – Atomic # =
 Oxygen (O) Atom
• notice the two electrons in the first orbital/level and
the six in the second

Bohr Diagram P = Atomic #

________
E=P
________
N = Atomic
Mass – Atomic #
________
 Sodium (Na) Atom
• notice the two electrons in the first orbital/level, eight in
the second, and one in the third

Bohr Diagram
P=
E=
N=
 Building Atoms
Using the whiteboard and the proton, neutron,
and electron pieces, build the following atoms,
and determine their atomic and mass numbers.
Atoms Protons Neutrons Electrons
Carbon 6 6 6
Beryllium 4 5 4
Oxygen 8 8 8
Lithium 3 4 3
Sodium 11 12 11