Chemistry Fundamentals

Unit 1 AOS1 The periodic

table

Atomic History a Snapshot

Scientist

Scientific Contribution

Democritus

proposed the idea that matter was composed of atoms in 400 BC

Dalton

introduced the term 'atomic weight' and estimated the atomic weights of known elements
based on a value of 1 unit for the hydrogen atom; he also invented symbols to represent
elements and developed an atomic theory based on indivisible atoms

Thomson

suggested the plum pudding model of the atom, in which the atom is regarded as a soft,
positively charged sphere with negatively charged electrons embedded in it

Rutherford

discovered the existence of the proton and predicted the existence of the neutron; a model
of the atom was proposed that had a small positively charged nucleus containing most of the
mass, surrounded by electrons
postulated the existence of isotopes to explain how atoms of some elements could have
different masses, yet still be the same element
proposed that electrons circle the nucleus without losing energy; he explained emission
spectra by proposing that electrons were arranged in shells around the nucleus and that the
lines in an emission spectrum were the result of transitions of electrons between shells

Soddy
Bohr

Chadwick

discovered the neutron and explained the existence of isotopes

Meitner

recognised that uranium undergoes nuclear fission and the energy released an illustration of
the mass/energy relationship proposed by Einstein

The Models

Atomic theory has developed over time with contributions

from many individuals.
The modern theory of quantum mechanics, which has been
further developed from the work of Rutherford and Bohr,
explains much of the structure of the atoms and their
behaviour.
These ideas continue to be modified.

Atomic Theory The Modern Day Specifics

All matter is made of atoms
Atoms are neutral (uncharged)
Atoms consist of a number of sub-atomic particles
Electrons
Protons
Neutrons
The three basic particles may be further subdivided into over 50 other
unstable particles!

Elements Versus Compounds

Substances that contain only one type of atom are called
elements.
E.g. Oxygen (O2), Nitrogen (N2), Copper (Cu),
Aluminium (Al), Sulfur (S8), Carbon

Compounds
Substances that contain different elements which are
chemical bonded to each other.
Eg. NaCl, CuSO4, H2O, CH3COOH

Defining the components of an Atom

Name
Particle

of Where found in Atom Relative mass Charge

to proton

proton

in nucleus

+1

neutron

in nucleus

neutral

electron

in shells around the 1/2000

nucleus

-1

The atomic model is a representation of the atom.

It is represented currently as an empty sphere
containing an extremely small central region
called the nucleus with electrons moving around
in the space in specific levels.

Key Characteristics of atoms

All atoms are neutral (no charge)
Number of protons is equal to the
number of electrons.
Number of protons in an atom is called
the ATOMIC NUMBER. (Z)
Number of protons PLUS neutrons is
called the MASS NUMBER (A)
Atoms with the same number of
protons but different number of
neutrons (mass number) are called
ISOTOPES

Atomic Number (Z)

Atomic number is the number of
protons in the nucleus of an atom.
This determines the element. When
the atomic number changes the
element has changed. Hence:
all hydrogen atoms have 1 proton
all carbon atoms have 6 protons
all calcium atoms have 20 protons.

Mass Number & Neutron Number

Mass number (A) is the number of nucleons (i.e.
number of protons and neutrons) in the nucleus of the
atom.
Neutron number, N = A - Z . This may be different for
atoms of the same element. Such elements are said to exist
as different isotopes.

Isotopes
Isotopes have the same atomic
number but different mass number
Which means isotopes have the same
number of protons but a different
number of neutrons.
Carbon exist as three isotopes:
6 protons and 6 neutrons
12C
(most common isotope)

6 protons and 7 neutrons

6 protons and 8 neutrons

13C
14C

Writing the Symbol for an Atom

Atoms of elements may be written using
the following symbol.

ATOMIC NUMBER (Z) = the number of PROTONS in the atom

MASS NUMBER (A) = the number of PROTONS plus the number of
NEUTRONS
The number of Neutrons can be found by subtracting Z from A

Neutrons = A - Z

Chlorine

The above symbols for chlorine shows 2 isotopes of chlorine.

the 35Cl has 18 neutrons
the 37Cl has 20 neutrons
they both have 17 protons
they both have 17 electrons.

Isotopes versus Ions

Isotopes will have different atomic structures but will
react the same way chemically
Ions differ only in the number of electrons which will
result in an overall charge in the atom.
This difference in electron configuration means they
will have different chemical properties than the neutral
atom