Atomic Structure Flashcards
What does an atom consist of?
An atom consists of a nucleus containing protons and neutrons surrounded by electrons
What is the relative charge and mass of a proton ?
Relative mass is 1
Relative charge is +1
What is the relative mass and charge of a neutron?
Relative mass is 1
Relative charge is 0
What is the relative mass and charge of an electron ?
Relative mass is 1/1840
Relative charge -1
What are isotopes?
Isotopes are atoms with the same number of protons and different number of neutrons
Why do isotopes have similar chemical properties ?
Isotopes have similar chemical properties because they have the same electronic structure. They may have slightly varying physical properties because they have different masses.
What can the mass spectrometer be used to determine ?
The mass spectrometer can be used to determine all the isotopes present in a sample of an element and to therefore identify elements
Why does the mass spectrometer have to be under a vacuum?
It needs to be under a vacuum otherwise air particles would ionise and register in the detector
What are the four steps of a mass spectrometer?
1.ionisation
2.acceleration
3.flight tube/ion drift
4.detection
What are the two ways a sample can be ionised?
Electron impact
Electro spray ionisation
Describe electron impact
A vaporised sample is injected at low pressure
An electron gun fires high energy electrons at the sample
This knocks out an outer electron
Forming positive ions with different charges e.g TI(g)->Ti+(g)+e-
Describe electro spray ionisation
Sample is dissolved in a volatile polar solvent
Injected through a fine needle giving a fine mist or aerosol
The tip of needle has high voltage
At the tip of the needle the sample molecule M gains a proton H+ from the solvent forming MH+
M(g)+H+->MH+(g)
The solvent evaporates towards a negative plate
What is electron impact used for?
Electron impact is used for elements and substances with low formula mass . Electron impact can cause larger organic molecules to fragment
What is electro spray ionisation used for?
Electro spray ionisation is used preferably for larger organic molecules.The softer conditions of this technique mean fragmentation doesn’t occur
Describe acceleration in a mass spectrometer
Positive ions are accelerated by an electric field to a constant kinetic energy
KE=1/2mv^2
What does the velocity of each particle depend on ?
Given that all the particles have the same kinetic energy the velocity of each particle depends on its mass.lighter particles have a faster velocity and heavier particles have a slower velocity
Describe the flight tube
Positive ions with smaller M/z values will have the same kinetic energy as those with larger M/z and will move faster. The heavier particles take longer to move through the drift area
The ions are distinguished by different flight times
t=d/v
Describe detection
The ions reach the detector and generate a small current which is fed to a computer for analysis.The current is produced by electrons transferring from the detector to the positive ions .The size of the current is proportional to the abundance of the species
What can the mass spectrometer measure for each isotope?
For each isotope the mass spectrometer can measure a M/z (mass /charge ratio) and an abundance