Atomic structure (3.1.1) Flashcards
protons
charge = +1
mass = 1
neutrons
charge = neutral
mass = 1
electrons
charge = -1
mass = 1/1850
what does A represent?
mass number
what does Z represent?
atomic (proton) number
how has knowledge and understanding of atomic structure changed over time?
evolved from plum pudding model (1904, JJ Thompson) to the Rutherford model after the gold foil experiment and eventually to today’s nuclear model
how does electron configuration work?
electrons occupy energy levels, but each energy level is made up of different numbers of sub-levels (sub-shells), and sub-levels are made up of different numbers of orbitals
how many electrons can each orbital hold?
maximum of 2
what are the sub-levels?
s, p, d, f
how many orbitals are in each sub-level?
s - 1 orbital (holds 2 electrons)
p - 3 orbitals (holds 6 electrons)
d - 5 orbitals (holds 10 electrons)
what are isotopes?
atoms of the same element containing the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons (have same chemical properties as they have the same number of outer shell electrons)
how are electron configurations represented?
electrons in boxes - each box represents an orbital, and these make up sub-levels which appear with increasing distance from the nucleus
written configurations
what is the order of sub-levels for writing electron configurations?
1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, 5s, 4d, 5p, 6s
why is the 4s sub-level filled before 3d?
because it is lower in energy
how do you write shorthand electron configuration?
find the noble gas with the closest number of electrons below the element you are looking at, write the symbol of that noble gas and then finish of the configuration with the remaining sub-levels
what is the long and shorthand electron configuration for zinc?
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2 3d10
[Ar] 4s2 3d10
what does the mass spectrometer do?
gives accurate information about relative isotopic mass and also about the relative abundance of isotopes
what can mass spectrometry be used to do?
identify elements and determine relative molecular mass
what is the first stage of TOF mass spectrometry?
ionisation
what are two techniques of ionising the sample?
electron impact and electrospray ionisation
how does electron impact work?
the sample being analysed is vaporised
high energy electrons are fired at the sample by an ‘electron gun’ (a hot wire filament with current running through it)
usually one electron is knocked off each particle meaning they form a 1+ ion (molecular ion)
the 1+ ions are attracted towards a negative electric plate where they ae accelerated
in what situation is electron impact used?
used for elements and substances which have a low formular mass
what would an equation for the ionisation of a methane molecule look like with electron impact?
CH4 (g) –> CH4^+ (g) + e-
how does electrospray ionisation work?
the sample is dissolved in a volatile solvent eg. water, methanol
it is then injected through a fine hypodermic needle to give a fine mist
the tip of the needle is attached to the positive terminal of a high voltage power supply
particles gain a proton (H^+ ion) from the solvent as they leave the needle which produces XH^+ ions
the solvent evaporates and the XH^+ ions attract towards a negative electric plate where they are accelerated