2. Atomic Structure Flashcards
Where is the mass of an atom concentrated?
The mass of an atom is concentrated in the nucleus
Why is the mass of an atom concentrated in the —?
because the nucleus contains the heaviest subatomic particles (the neutrons and protons)
Why is the mass of an electron not counted?
The mass of the electron is negligible
What is the nucleus’ charge and why?
The nucleus is also positively charged due to the protons
how do electrons contribute to the structure of an atom?
Electrons orbit the nucleus of the atom, contributing very little to its overall mass, but creating a ‘cloud’ of negative charge
What holds an atom together?
The electrostatic attraction between the positive nucleus and negatively charged electrons orbiting around it is what holds an atom together
What are the subatomic particles? 3 examples
The protons, neutrons and electrons that an atom is made up of are called subatomic particles
Why can we not measure subatomic particles’ masses “normally”?
These subatomic particles are so small that it is not practical to measure their masses and charges using conventional units (such as grams)
How are subatomic particles measured?
Instead, their masses and charges are compared to each other, and so are called ‘relative atomic masses’ and ‘relative atomic charges’
What are the relative atomic mass/charge?
These are not actual charges and masses, but rather charges and masses of particles relative to each other
What mass are protons and neutrons assigned and why?
Protons and neutrons have a very similar mass, so each is assigned a relative mass of 1
What is the mass of an electron and why?
Electrons are 1836 times smaller than a proton and neutron, and so their mass is often described as being negligible
What is the relative charge of a(n):
- proton
- neutron
- electron
- +1
- 0
- -1
What is the atomic number?
he atomic number (or proton number) is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom and has the symbol Z
What is the atomic number equal to? What specific case is this only applicable to?
The atomic number is also equal to the number of electrons that are present in a neutral atom of an element
What is the mass number?
The mass number (or nucleon number) is the total number of protons + neutrons in the nucleus of an atom, and has the symbol A
How can we calculate the number of neutrons?
Number of neutrons = mass number – atomic number
What are protons and neutrons also called and why?
Protons and neutrons are also called nucleons, because they are found in the nucleus
What are isotopes?
Isotopes are atoms of the same element that contain the same number of protons and electrons but a different number of neutrons
How do we represent isotopes?
The way to represent an isotope is to write the chemical symbol (or the word) followed by a dash and then the mass number
e.g carbon-12
What type of charge does an atom have?
An atom is neutral and has no overall charge
What charge do ions have and why?
Ions on the other hand have either gained or lost electrons causing them to become charged
How is the mass of an element given regarding all of its isotopes?
Because of this, the mass of an element is given as relative atomic mass (Ar) by using the average mass of all of the isotopes
How can the relative atomic mass of an element be calculated?
The relative atomic mass of an element can be calculated by using the percentage abundance values
How can we find out the percentage abundance of an isotope?
can be read off the mass spectrum
How would we calculate the relative atomic mass of an atom including all of its isotopes?
(% abundance x massA) + (% abundance x massB) / 100
What is the electromagnetic spectrum?
The electromagnetic spectrum is a range of frequencies that covers all electromagnetic radiation and their respective wavelengths and energy
What is an electromagnetic spectrum divided into?
It is divided into bands or regions
What type of chemistry is an electromagnetic spectrum important?
very important in analytical chemistry
What does an electromagnetic spectrum show the relationship between?
The spectrum shows the relationship between frequency, wavelength and energy
What is frequency?
Frequency is how many waves pass per second
What is wavelength?
wavelength is the distance between two consecutive peaks on the wave
How can we tell that radiation is dangerous?
Gamma rays, X-rays and UV radiation are all dangerous – you can see from that end of the spectrum that it is high frequency and high energy, which can be very damaging to your health
What type of energy, wavelength and frequency does radio waves, micro waves and infrared have?
lower energy
long wavelength
low frequency
What type of energy, wavelength and frequency does ultraviolet, x-rays and gamma rays have?
higher energy
short wave length
high frequency
What distinguishes light waves?
All light waves travel at the same speed; what distinguishes them is their different frequencies
What symbol represents the speed of light?
c
What is the speed of light?
The speed of light is constant and has a value of 3.00 x 108 ms–1
What is the symbol of frequency?
symbol ‘ν‘
What is frequency inversely proportional to?
frequency is inversely proportional to wavelength
What is the symbol for wavelength?
λ
what equation links, frequency, wavelength and the speed of light?
The equation that links them is c = νλ
What can use the equation to calculate? c = νλ
Since c is constant you can use the formula to calculate the frequency of x given the wavelength, and vice versa
what is a continous spectrum?
a continuous spectrum in the visible region contains all the colours of the spectrum
What does a line spectrum show?
a line spectrum only shows certain frequencies
What does a line spectrum tell us?
This tells us that the emitted light from atoms can only be certain fixed frequencies – it is quantised
Why can light emitted by atoms only be certain frequencies?
Electrons can only possess certain amounts of energy – they cannot have any energy value
Where do electrons move?
Electrons move rapidly around the nucleus in energy shells
Can electrons jump energy levels, why/when?
If their energy is increased, then they can jump to a higher energy level
The process is reversible, so electrons can return to their original energy levels
What happens when electrons jump energy levels?
When this happens, they emit energy
Is the frequency emitted by electrons when they jump up a level different?
The frequency of energy is exactly the same, it is just being emitted rather than absorbed:
What does it mean if an electron is in an excited state?
higher energy and further from nucleus
How is the frequency of energy expressed from
a) ground state -> excited state
b) excited state -> ground state
a) absorption (of energy)
b) emission (of energy)
What is the frequency of the energy emitted by an electron?
The energy they emit is a mixture of different frequencies
What (could) the mix of frequencies emitted by an electron link to?
This is thought to correspond to the many possibilities of electron jumps between energy shells
What can be done if the emitted energy is in the visible region of a spectrum?
What is the result?
If the emitted energy is in the visible region, it can be analysed by passing it through a diffraction grating
The result is a line emission spectrum
What do the lines on a line emission spectra represent?
Each line is a specific energy value
What do the varying lines on a line emission spectra suggest?
This suggests that electrons can only possess a limited choice of allowed energies
What are the lines on a line emission spectra called?
These packets of energy are called ‘quanta‘ (plural quantum)
What part of the le spectrum do the lines get closer together?
the lines get closer together towards the blue end of the spectrum (the higher energy end)
What is it called when lines towards of the le spectrum get closer together?
why?
This is called convergence and the set of lines is converging towards the higher energy end, so the electron is reaching a maximum amount of energy