5.1 Study Guide Flashcards
Explain the differences in mass and charge between protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Protons have a positive charge of 1 and a mass of 1amu. Oppositely, electrons have a negative charge of 1 and a mass of virtually 0. Neutrons are similar to protons in that they have a mass of 1amu, but instead of having a positive charge, they have no charge at all (or a neutral charge).
Explain the differences in function as well as location within the atomic structure between protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Protons’ function is to determine the element of any given atom based on the number of protons present, and they are found in an atom’s nucleus. Neutrons’ function is to hold together an atom’s nucleus, and thus they are also found there. Electrons’ function is to instigate or prohibit possible reactions between atoms based on the number of electrons present, and they are found outside of an atom’s nucleus, orbiting around it.
True or False: Opposite charges repel each other and equal charges attract each other.
False. Opposite charges attract each other and equal charges repel each other.
State the types of relationships between coulombic attraction and both level of particle charge and distance between particles according to Coulomb’s Law. Also, state the comparative magnitudes of change for both values in each relationship.
According to Coulomb’s Law, coulombic attraction and level of particle charge have a direct relationship in which both increase and decrease together by the same magnitude. Additionally, Coulomb’s Law states that coulombic attraction and distance between particles have an inverse relationship in which attraction increases or decreases by the square of the magnitude by which distance decreases or increases respectively.
Define electronegativity and state the different variables that affect it.
Electronegativity is the measure of the tendency of atoms to attract electrons during bonding (or just the force of attraction between the nuclei and electron shells of atoms). Variables that affect an atom’s electronegativity include the number of protons in its nucleus, the number of total electrons it has, and the number of electron shells it has.
Explain why noble gases like helium and neon do not have electronegativity values.
Noble gases like helium and neon do not have electronegativity values because they generally do not bond with other atoms due to having complete valence electron shells. These outer shells are essentially “full” and don’t need to take electrons from other atoms to become more stable/balanced, thus they don’t have a tendency to attract electrons during bonding.
A given atom has 14 protons, 15 neutrons, and 13 electrons. State the atom’s element, atomic mass, and ion charge based on this information.
This is a silicon atom with a mass of 29 and an ion charge of +1.
An atom of Rhodium has an atomic mass of 103 and an ion charge of 0. State the atom’s numbers of protons, neutrons, and electrons based on this information.
This atom has 45 protons, 58 neutrons, and 45 electrons.
Isotopes are forms of the same atom differentiated by their number of neutrons. Many isotopes are radioactive and unstable and, over usually very long periods of time, naturally decay into more stable forms. Explain why this fact makes them useful for scientific research.
Because isotopes of different atoms take different, specific amounts of time to decay, scientists can accurately estimate the ages of things like rocks and fossils by measuring the proportion of decayed vs non-decayed atoms of an element and calculating that with the time it takes the non-decayed isotopes to decay.
Between the two elements of Oxygen and Sulfur, explain which one has higher valence electron attraction and why.
While Oxygen and Sulfur have the same number of valence electrons, Oxygen has higher valence electron attraction because it has only two electron shells compared to Sulfur’s three. This makes it so that Oxygen atoms’ valence electrons are closer to their nuclei and so that there are fewer repelling electrons between the two, which, together, increase the attraction between valence electrons and nuclei at a higher rate and by a higher amount than Sulfur’s increase in protons does.
Between the two elements of Oxygen and Boron, explain which one has higher electronegativity and why.
While Oxygen and Boron have the same number of electron shells, Oxygen has higher electronegativity because it has more protons in its nucleus while having the same amount of space and repelling electrons between its nucleus and valence electrons as Boron. This increases the charge of Oxygen’s nucleus compared to Boron’s and makes it more attractive to any electrons.
