Gen Chem 1 Flashcards
Protons
In the nucleus of atom mass=1 amu, charge=+1
Neutrons
neturons= A-Z
In the nucleus of atom mass=1 amu, charge=0
Electrons
electrons = #protons (if atom is neutral)
Circulate around the nucleus
mass=0 amu, charge=-1
strong nuclear force
Hold together the subatomic particles (nucleons) within the nucleus
-One of the strongest of nature’s 4 basic forces
Nature’s 4 basic forces
Strong nuclear force
Weak nuclear force
Gravity
Electromagnetic force
Electromagnetic force
Attraction between + and - or repulsion between like charges.
- Acts within the nucleus as repulsion between positively charged protons.
- The strong nuclear force overcomes this repulsion
Atomic Number (Z)
protons -> fingerprint of an atom, never changes for that element
Mass Number (A)
Protons + #Neutrons
- The actual weight of any atom is approximately equal to its mass number in amu or Daltons (1 amu = 1 Da = 1.66x10^-27 kg)
- The weight of 1 mole of any element is equal to its mass number in grams
Isotope
same # protons, different #neutrons (isotopes of any element differ only in the #neutrons; i.e. C-12 and C-13 -> C-12 has 6 neutrons while C-13 has 7.
Ion
Atom with a net-zero charge because it has gained or lost e- from its neutral state.
Cation (+): has lost e-
Anion (-): has gained e-
(Nuclear) binding energy
The energy required to break the nucleus down into its constituent parts.
-This amount of energy required was released when the nucleus formed from individual nucleons
Mass Defect
The mass of an intact nucleus is less than the sum of the masses of the nucleons that make it up. This difference is the mass defect.
-This amount of mass was converted to energy and released when the nucleus formed (nuclear binding energy) and these quantities are related by E=mc^2
Excited state vs. ground state of an e-
- Electrons are usually at their “ground state” energy level but can absorb energy and be promoted to an “excited state” of higher energy.
- When an e- falls from the excited state back to the ground sate, it releases energy (same amount of energy as was required to excite it).
Absorption spectrum
- Shine light through a substance and it will absorb certain specific frequencies (or colors) of that light.
- It is visualized as dark bands on a rainbow spectrum. The dark bands show which frequencies of light were absorbed.
Emission spectrum
- Pass light through a substance and certain frequencies of light are emitted. It is visualized as bright bands (the colors of the bands represents which frequencies of light were emitted) on a dark surface.
- Light is emitted from the substance when an atom transitions from a high energy state (due to an excited electron) to a low energy/ground state.
- The difference in energy between these two states is exactly equivalent to the energy of the photon released.
- Many different electron transitions possible for each atom, there are many different energies of photons (colors) released.
- “fingerprint” of an atom