Atomic Structure Flashcards
What is an element’s mass number?
The total number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus
What is an element’s atomic number?
Number of protons it has in its nucleus
What are isotopes?
Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons
What are electrons arranged into?
Electron shells/ energy levels
What are electrons divided up into?
Sub-shells/ sub-levels
What are sub-shells divided up into?
Orbitals
What are orbitals?
The area of space that electrons occupy - area which we are most likely to find electron in.
How many electrons can an orbital hold up to?
2
What is on an atom’s 1st energy level?
1 sub-shell
s sub-shell: 1 orbital
total electrons: 2
What is on an atom’s 2nd energy level?
2 sub-shells
s sub-shell: 1 orbital
p sub-shell: 3 orbitals
total electrons: 8
What is on an atom’s 3rd energy level?
3 sub-shells
s sub-shell: 1 orbital
p sub-shell: 3 orbitals
d sub-shell: 5 orbitals
total electrons: 18
What are the rules for determining the electron configuration?
Lowest energy is filled first (1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p)
Electrons should occupy orbitals on their own, only sharing an orbital if there are no empty orbitals of the same energy level
Why is hydrogen difficult to place on the periodic table?
It is an s-block element with 1 electron in the s sub-level but has different properties to Group 1 elements
Why is helium difficult to place on the periodic table?
It is NOT a p-block element but is placed with other noble gases because they share properties.
When an ion forms,are the 3d or 4s electrons lost first?
4s
Why would the electrons in the last orbital in an atom be the easiest to lose?
Has the weakest attraction to nucleus:
Has the furthest distance from nucleus
Positive charge of nucleus shielded by inner electrons
What is the definition of ionisation energy?
Ionisation energy (IE) is the energy required to remove one mole of electrons from one mole of atoms in the gaseous state.