Chemistry Term 1 Flashcards
What are the three ideas in John Dalton’s theory about the atom?
- Atoms cannot be created, divided or destroyed.
- Atoms of the same element are exactly the same and atoms of different elements are different.
- Atoms join with other atoms to make new substances.
What discovery caused the original Dalton model of an atom to change?
The discovery of subatomic particles.
How did J J Thomson discover the electron?
Thomson experimented with a cathode ray tube.
The beam moved towards the positively charged plate so he knew that the particles must have a negative charge.
Describe the atomic model proposed by J J Thomson.
Plum Pudding Model.
Negatively charged electrons scattered through a positively charged material.
What di Ernest Rutherford discover from his gold foil experiment?
- Most of the particles passed straight through suggesting that atoms were mostly empty space.
- A few particles were deflected and a few bounced directly back showing that there must be a tiny, dense and positively-charged nucleus.
Describe Rutherford’s new model of the atom.
- Mass is concentrated in the central nucleus.
- Mostly empty space.
- Electrons travel in random paths around the nucleus.
Describe the structure of an atom.
- Small central nucleus made up of protons and neutrons.
- Electrons orbit (move around) the nucleus in shells.
What is the radius of the nucleus? How large is it compared to the radius atom?
The radius of the nucleus is 1x10-14 m.
This is 1/10000 of the atomic radius.
What is the relative masses of protons, neutrons and electrons?
Protons: 1
Neutrons: 1
Electrons: 1/1836
What are the relative charges of protons, neutrons and electrons?
Protons: +1
Neutrons: 0
Electrons: -1
Why do atoms contain equal numbers of protons and electrons?
Atoms are stable with no overall charge.
Protons are positively charged and electrons are negatively charged. For the charges of balance, the number of protons and electrons must be equal.
Where is the mass of an atom concentrated?
In the nucleus.
What does the atomic number of an atom represent?
The number of protons.
What does the mass number of an atom mean?
The mass number is the number of protons and neutrons found in the nucleus of an atom.
What is an isotope?
Isotopes are atoms with the same number of protons (so they are the same element) but a different number of neutrons.
Isotopes of an element have the same atomic number but different mass number.
Why is the relative atomic mass not always a whole number?
Different isotopes of the same element have different mass numbers. The relative atomic mass is an average of the masses of all these isotopes.
What two values would be required to calculate the relative atomic mass of chlorine?
Mass numbers and relative abundances of all the isotopes of chlorine.
How did Mendeleev arrange the elements in his periodic table?
Elements arranged with increasing atomic masses.
Elements with similar properties put into groups (due to periodic trends in chemical properties).
Switched the position of some elements.
Gaps left for undiscovered elements.
How was Mendeleev able to predict the properties of new elements?
Mendeleev left gaps in his periodic table. He used the properties of elements next to these gaps to predict the properties of undissolved elements.
Mendeleev’s table lacked some amount of accuracy in the way he’d ordered his elements. Why was this?
Isotopes were poorly understood at the time.
Protons and neutrons had no yet been undiscovered.
How are elements arranged in the modern periodic table?
In order of increasing atomic number.
Why do elements in the same column have similar chemical properties?
Same number of outer shell electrons.
Number of outer shell electrons determined how an atom reacts.
What does the period (row) number tell you about all the elements in that period?
Elements in the same period have the same number of electron shells.
e.g. all elements in period 4 have 4 electron shells.
What does group (column) number tell you about all the elements in that group?
All elements in the same group have the same number of outer electrons.
e.g. all elements in group 2 have 2 electrons in their outer shell.
On which side of the periodic table are the metals positioned?
Left hand side.
What determines whether an element is a metal or non-metal?
Atomic structure of the elements.
What is the maximum number of electrons allowed in each of the first 3 shells?
1st shells : 2
2nd shell : 8
3rd shell : 8
When are atoms most stable?
When they have full electron shells.
How is the electron configuration of an element
related to its position in the periodic table?
Diagram:
The number of rings is the period.
The number of electrons in the outer ring is the group.
The total number of electrons is the atomic number.
Number (e.g. sodium, 2.8.1):
Sodium has 3 shells as there are 3 numbers.
The last number is the number of outer shell electrons / the group.
The sum of the digits is the atomic number.
What is an ionic bond?
A bond between a metal and non-metal involving the transfer of electrons.
In terms of electrons, describe what happens to the metal and non-metal when an ionic bond forms.
The metal atom loses electrons to become a positively charged ion (cation).
The non-metal gains electrons to become a negatively charged ion (anion).
What is an ion?
An ion is an atom or group of atoms with a positive or negative charge.
If an ion is positively charged, has it lost or gained electrons?
It has lost electrons. There are fewer negatively charged electrons to cancel out the charge of the positive protons. This means the overall charge becomes positive.
What does it mean if an ionic compound ends in
-ide?
The compound contains 2 elements.
What does it mean if an ionic compound
ends in -ate?
The compound contains at least three
elements, one of which is oxygen.
Describe the structure of an ionic compound.
Lattice structure.
Regular arrangement of ions.
Ions held together by strong electrostatic
forces between ions with opposite charges.
What is a covalent bond?
A bond formed when an electron pair is shared between two atoms.
What forms as a result of covalent bonding?
A molecule
Which is smaller, an atom or a molecule?
An atom.
Simple molecules consist of atoms
joined by strong covalent bonds within
the molecule.
Why do ionic compounds have high melting points?
Strong electrostatic attraction between
the positive and negative ions requires a
lot of energy to overcome.
When do ionic compounds electricity? Why?
When molten or aqueous (dissolved in
water) because the ions are charged and
free to move. When solid, the ions are fixed
in an ionic lattice so can’t move.
Why do simple molecular compounds have low
melting and boiling points?
They have weak intermolecular forces
(forces between molecules) which only
require a little energy to overcome.
Do simple molecular compounds conduct electricity?
Why / why not?
No because there are no charged
particles.
Do giant covalent structures have a high melting
point? Explain your answer.
Yes because they have lots of strong
covalent bonds which require a lot of
energy to break.
How do metals conduct electricity and heat?
The positive ions are fixed in a sea of
delocalised electrons. These electrons
are free to move and carry charge / energy.
What is a fullerene?
A fullerene is a molecule made of carbon, shaped like a closed tube or
hollow ball.
What are the properties of metals?
- High melting point.
- High density.
- Good conductors of electricity.
- Malleable and ductile.
- Generally shiny.
Explain why metals are malleable.
The atoms are arranged in uniform rows which can slide over one another.
Explain why metals can conduct electricity.
The electrons in the metal are charges that can move.
What are the general properties of non-metals?
- Low boiling points.
- Poor conductors of electricity.
- Brittle when solid.
List the limitations of the following models when
representing ionic compounds: dot and cross, 2D diagrams and 3D diagrams.
● Dot and cross - no lattice structure or ionic bonds.
● 2D diagrams - only shows one layer, doesn’t show
formation of ions.
● 3D diagrams - shows spaces between the ions,
doesn’t show charges.
List the limitations of the following models when
representing covalent molecules: dot and cross and ball and stick.
● Dot and cross - doesn’t show relative sizes of
atoms or intermolecular forces.
● Ball and stick - bonds shown as sticks rather
than forces, doesn’t show how covalent bonds
form.