atomic structure Flashcards
define an atom.
the smallest particle of a chemical element that can exist.
define an element.
a pure substance made of only one kind of atom
what is a compound?
a substance made up of atoms of two or more different elements joined by chemical bonds
what is the difference between a mixture and compound?
a mixture combination of two or more different substances that are NOT joined by chemical bonds
what is a molecule?
a group of atoms bonded together (can be the same type of atom, or different types of atom)- eg CO2, H2O
what is the relative mass of a proton?
1
what is the relative mass of a neutron?
1
what is the relative mass of an electron?
roughly 1/1836- negligible
what is the relative charge of a proton?
+1
what is the relative charge of a neutron?
0
what is the relative charge of an electron?
-1
what is the atomic number?
the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom
where are each of the subatomic particles found?
protons and neutrons in the nucleus, electrons in shells orbiting the nucleus
what is the average radius of an atom?
0.1 nm (1 x 10^-10 m)
what is the average radius of the nucleus
10000 times smaller than atom- 1 x 10^-14 m
how do you find the number of neutrons in an atom?
mass number - atomic number
define isotope
atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons
what does the number of electron shells correspond to?
the period (horizontal row) on the periodic table
what is a valence electron?
electrons on the outer shell that are involved in reactions
what do outer shell electrons correspond to?
group number in periodic table
what was john dalton’s theory of atoms?
believed that atoms could not be divided, but were rearranged in chemical reactions
what did john newland find?
noticed a repeating pattern every 8 elements and suggested elements were found in ‘octaves’
what were elements ordered by historically?
atomic weight
what are elements ordered by now?
atomic number (number of protons)