Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table: Atomic Mass and Mass Number (DONE)

Question 1

What is the name of the number below an element on the periodic table?

Answer 1

Atomic number.

Question 2

What is the name of the number above an element on the periodic table?

Answer 2

Mass number.

Question 3

What does the atomic number tell us?

Answer 3

The atomic number tells us the number of protons in atoms of that element. (it also tells us the number of electrons an element has as the number of protons and electrons is the same).

Question 4

What does the mass number tell us?

Answer 4

The mass number tells us the total number of protons and neutrons added together.

Question 5

How can we work out the number of neutrons an atom of an element has?

Answer 5

We can work out the number of neutrons an atom has by subtracting the elements atomic number from the mass number.

Question 6

What are ions?

Answer 6

Ions are atoms which have an overall charge and this is because ions have lost or gained electrons.

Question 7

Have positive ions gained or lost electrons?

Have negative ions gained or lost electrons?

Answer 7

Positive ions have lost electrons.

Negative ions have gained electrons.

Question 8

Work out the number of protons, neutrons and electrons?

16
O 2-
8

27
Al 3+
13

31
Li
15

Answer 8

8 protons
8 neutrons
10 electrons

13 protons
14 neutrons
10 electrons

15 protons
16 neutrons
15 electrons

Question 9

All the atoms of the same element have the same number of…

Answer 9

All the atoms of the same element have the same number of protons.

(however, the number of neutrons is not always fixed and this is where isotopes come into play.)

Question 10

What is an isotope?

Answer 10

Isotopes are atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons, the same number of protons and electrons.