ions, ionic bonding, atomic structure

Question 1

what’s the difference between an atom & an ion?

Answer 1

ion is a changed particle, atom is an unchanged particle

Question 2

does carbon form ions?

Answer 2

no, it could either lose/gain 4 electrons

Question 3

does neon form ions?

Answer 3

no, it already has a full outer shell

Question 4

why does sodium chloride (NaCl) have a lower melting point than magnesium oxide (MgO)?

Answer 4

• Mg 2+ and O 2- have a greater charge than Na+ and Cl-
• therefore the electrostatic attraction is stronger
• requires more energy to overcome

Question 5

why can ionic compounds be brittle?

Answer 5

• when hit with force, the layers of ions can slide over each other
• this can cause ions with same charge to end up next to each other
• causes repulsion, lattice will break at this point

Question 6

are solid ionic compounds soluble?

Answer 6

no, because the ions aren’t free to move due to the strong electrostatic attraction (in a fixed place)

Question 7

what’s the relative mass of a proton?

Answer 7

1

Question 8

what’s the relative mass of a neutron?

Answer 8

1

Question 9

what’s the relative mass of an electron?

Answer 9

0.001

Question 10

what’s meant by the term ‘relative atomic mass’?

Answer 10

the average mass of atoms of an element, taking into account their abundance

Question 11

what do periods mean?

Answer 11

the amount of electron shells

Question 12

what do groups mean?

Answer 12

the amount of electrons in its outer shell

Question 13

which row are periods?

Answer 13

horizontal rows

Question 14

which rows are groups?

Answer 14

vertical rows