1.2 basic ideas about atoms Flashcards
what is an isotope?
an atom of an element with the same number of protons, but different number of neutrons
what makes a nuclei to become unstable?
when isotopes of elements are formed that contain too many neutrons, it makes the nucleus ‘heavy’ and unstable
what happens when a nuclei becomes unstable?
radiation is emitted from the nucleus of that atom which results in the formation of a new atom
the heavier the atom, the ____ likely it is to degrade/emit radiation?
more
what are the 5 radiation types and decay?
- alpha
- beta
- gamma
- positron emission
- electron capture
what are the properties of alpha? and why?
- same structure as a helium nucleus (2 protons, 2 neutrons)
- doesn’t have any electrons so has a positive charge if 2+ (so will be affected by an electric field)
- penetrating power -> easily stopped by a thin sheet of paper so pose no threat to humans when outside the body
- ionising ability -> their relatively large size makes it easy for them to knock electrons off atoms to form negatively charged ions
- electric fields -> they are attracted towards the negatively charged plate but deflection is small due to large mass
- emission -> when emitted by an unstable nucleus, the particle leaves behind a new nucleus (different element) with 2 fewer protons and 2 fewer neutrons
what is the structure of alpha?
4 He
2
why does alpha have a positive charge of 2+?
because it doesn’t have any electrons
does alpha have a strong or weak penetrating power?
weak - it is easily stopped by a thin sheet of paper so pose no threat to humans when outside the body
does alpha have a high or low ionising ability?
high - they are highly ionising
their relatively large size makes it easy for them to knock electrons off atoms to form negatively charged ions
in an electric field, what plate is alpha attracted to?
towards the negatively charged plate but deflection is small due to large mads
write an equation to represent the emission of an alpha particle from a carbon - 12 nuclei
12 C —> 4He + 8 Be
6 2 4
what are the properties of beta?
- formed when a neutron of an unstable element decays to form a proton and an electron (the electron is propelled away at high speed from the nucleus and becomes known as a beta particles)
- it has a mass of 0 and a charge of -1
- penetrating power = stopped by a thin sheet of aluminium so are much more dangerous to humans when outside the body
- ionising ability = ionises less intensely than an alpha particle due to its smaller size
- electric fields = they are attracted towards the positively charged plate but deflection is larger due to their small mass
- emission = when a beta particle is emitted, it leaves behind a new nucleus (different element) with 1 more proton so the atomic number increases by 1 and the mass number stays the same
what is the structure of a beta particle?
0 e -
-1
how is a beta particle formed?
when a nucleus of an unstable element decays to form a proton and an electron. the electron is propelled away at high speed from the nucleus and becomes known as a beta particle
what is the mass and charge of a beta particle?
mass 0
charge -1
what is the penetrating power of a beta particle?
they are stopped by thin sheets of aluminium so are much more dangerous to humans when outside the body
(stronger than alpha, weaker than gamma)
what is the ionising ability of a beta particle?
it ionises much less intensely than an alpha particle due to its size
in an electric field, what plate is a beta particle attracted to?
towards the positively charged plate but deflection is large due to their small mass
what are the properties of gamma?
- is emitted by unstable elements in order to release energy
- does not have a mass as it’s an electromagnetic wave with a very small wavelength and a high frequency and energy
- penetrating power = it can travel great distances and has a high penetrating power. it will pass directly through the human body. it can be stopped by very thick lead
- ionising ability = having no mass, it can only weakly ionise
- electric fields = having no charge it is not deflected by electric fields
- emission = it doesn’t change the structure of the nucleus from which it is emitted, it just reduces the amount of energy contained within
what is the structure of gamma? (charge, mass)
0 Y
0
how is gamma radiation emitted?
by unstable elements in order to release energy
why doesn’t gamma have a mass?
bc it is an electromagnetic wave with a very small wavelength and a high frequency and energy
what is the penetrating power of gamma?
it can travel great distances and has a high penetrating power. it will pass directly through the human body. it can be stopped by very thick lead
what is the ionising ability of gamma?
because it has no mass, it can only weakly ionise
in an electric field, what plate is gamma attracted to?
because it doesn’t have a charge, it is not deflected by electric fields
when emitted, how does gamma change the structure of the nucleus?
it doesn’t change the structure of the nucleus from which it is emitted, it just reduced the amount of energy contained within
what is a positron?
the opposite particle to an electron
what does positron emission result in?
the process of a proton turning into a neutron
(there is no change in mass number)
what is the structure of a positron?
0 e +
+1
what is electron capture?
- it pretty much uses the same principles of beta emission
- an electron can be ‘captured’ by an atom
- there is no change in mass number. a proton changes to a neutron
- beta particle add to an atom
23Na + 0 e —> 23Ne
11 -1 10
explain the deflection (of alpha, beta and gamma through an electric field)
- alpha radiation is deflected towards the negative plate
- beta radiation is deflected towards positive plate
- gamma radiation travels straight through as unaffected by charge
- beta radiation deflects at a greater angle and meets plate earlier than alpha
- beta particles charged and lighter, can be deflected more easily than alpha which are charged but heavier
- gamma radiation has no associated mass (electromagnetic wave)
why is alpha radiation deflected towards the negative plate in an electric field?
because it has a positive charge
why is beta deflected towards the positive plate in an electric field?
because it has a negative charge
why does gamma radiation travel straight through in an electric field?
is is an electromagnetic wave so is unaffected by charge
why does beta radiation deflect at a greater angle and meet the plate earlier than alpha in an electric field?
beta particles are charged and lighter, so can be deflected more easily than alpha which are charged but are heavier
half-life definition
the time taken for the mass of a radioactive isotope to decay by half
OR
the time taken for half of the atoms of a radioactive sample to decay
what is the relationship between the rate of decay to the number of atoms present in the sample? why?
proportional
bc since half-life is unchanging
why does the actual rate of decay slow down as time passes?
since it is proportional to the number of unstable nuclei in the sample
will the radioactivity of radioactive isotopes ever fall to zero?
no so radioactive isotopes must be disposed of with care
how long would it take a radioactive substance to reduce to 1/8th of its original value if its half life was 2 mins?
1 -> 1/2 -> 1/4 -> 1/8
3HL = 2mins x 3 = 6 mins
how long would it take a radioactive substance to reduce to 25% of its original value if its half life was 35 years?
1 -> 0.5 -> 0.25
2HL = 35 x 2 = 70 years
what are the two ways you can work out half life?
- from data
- from graphs
when reading half life off a graph, what is important to remember?
for it to be a true half life graph, each time you do this, the half life must remain constant between readings
what are the uses of radiation in industry?
only need 1 but:
- to measure the thickness of paper
- to find leaks in underground pipes
- to preserve food
- in smoke detectors
what is the use of radiation in carbon dating?
carbon dating is used to calculate the age of plant and animal remains
what are the uses of radiation in health and medicine?
only need 1 but:
- to sterilise surgical instruments
- to treat cancer - cobalt 60 is used to irradiate cancer patients
- in tracer studies - iodine 132 is used to study thyroid activity
up to what element do we need to know the electronic configuration?
krypton - 36
what are the three types of orbitals (shells) and how many can each one hold?
s, p and d
s can hold 2 electrons
p can hold 6 electrons
d can hold 10 electrons
what does n=1 mean?
what does n=2 mean?
n=1 is shell 1
n=2 is shell 2
(‘n’ means principal quantum number - or energy level)
does energy increase as you move away from the nucleus??
I
I
I
yes
do energy levels get closer or further away from each other as they get further from the nucleus?
they get closer as they get further from the nucleus
what is the full electronic configuration of Titanium - 22?
1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^6 4s2 3d2
what is the order of filling when working out the electrons of an element?
1s
2s
2p
3s
3p
4s
3d
4p
4d
why are electrons placed into the energy levels they are placed in?? why is the 4s sub-energy level filled before the 3d sub-energy level?
when electrons are placed into energy levels, they want to occupy those with the lowest energy first
the 4s sub-energy level is of lower energy and nearer the nucleus than the 3d sub-energy level
when doing the ‘arrow in the box method’ what direction do the arrows point?
1 has to point up, 1 has to point down
- in opposite directions
how do you fill ‘the arrow in the box method’? why?
fill all the boxes first, then pair them
bc electrons have a negative charge, they stay away from each other for as long as possible
what is the noble gas ‘core’/ shorthand method of electronic configuration?
find the noble gas before the element you are working out
write [‘noble gas’] then 3d^8 4s^2 etc
what are the two elements that are the exceptions to the rules for electronic configuration?
- chromium
- copper
they allow one of the 4s electrons to travel to the 3d sub level early as half filled (d^5) and fully filled (d^10) sub shells have a high stability
they are so close to having a half full d sub-energy level that it ‘takes’ one of the 4s electrons to achieve it ‘early’
how can you work out the electronic configuration of ions?
it can be deduced by simply adding or removing the appropriate number of electrons
what are the rules that deduce the order in which electrons are removed when working out the electronic configuration of ions?
- remove outer shell electrons first
- remove paired electrons before unpaired electrons in the same sub-level
- 4s ELECTRONS ALWAYS GET REMOVED BEFORE 3d
- add the appropriate number of electrons if the ion is negatively charged
why do atoms remain on an energy level? (why do they have fixed energy levels?)
cause they are quantised
what is the lowest energy level that an atom has? highest?
n=1
n= infinite
what do you call the energy level closest to the nucleus? (n=1)
the ground state
does energy increase as you go up the energy levels?
yes
is there a n=0 level?
no
what happens to the difference in energy between energy levels as you go from one level to the next?
it decreases
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what eventually happens to the energy levels as they go up towards n=infinite?
they converge - it becomes impossible to separate out the energy levels
(this limit is called the convergence limit)
what is the convergence limit?
the point at which the energy levels converge and become impossible to separate out
will each atom have a slightly different energy at which these levels reside?
yes
what represents ionisation of an atom?
- beyond the convergence limit
- n=1 —> n=infinite
(if an electron passes n=infinite, it looses it and it becomes an ion)
what must happen to the electron to move up to the higher energy level?
it must gain energy
(by absorbing light)
THE ELECTRON IS PROMOTED TO A HIGHER ENERGY LEVEL
how does an electron gain energy to move up to a higher energy level?
by absorbing light
what do you say when talking about when an electron moves up to a higher energy level by absorbing light energy?
the electron is promoted to a higher energy level
where does an electron reside?
in the lowest energy level possible - the n=1 level (ground state)
what specifically must occur for an electron to move up to a higher energy level? (more details)
- if light of the correct frequency and wavelength (and therefore energy) are shone on the atom, the electron will absorb that specific frequency and wavelength of light and become promoted to an energy level of higher energy
this is called an excited state
what is an excited state?
when an electron has absorbed the specific frequency and wavelength of light to be promoted to an energy level of higher energy
what happens to the electron that had been promoted to a higher energy level if the light source stops?
- the electron will seek once again to reside in the lowest energy level
- it must lose energy to do this
- it does this by emitting out light
what are the three types of transitions or ‘series’ you need to know when looking at absorption and emission spectras?
- lyman transitions
- balmer transitions
- paschen transitions
what are lyman transitions?
- they represent transitions from higher energy levels back down to n=1 level
- often occur in the UV light region (long arrows)