Periodic Table Flashcards
What does ‘periodic’ mean?
Having a pattern.
What does the periodic table show?
It shows patterns between the elements.
Why is the periodic table arranged weirdly?
It is so we can see the patterns between the elements.
What is matter?
Anything made of atoms.
What are atoms?
Building blocks of matter.
What is chemistry?
The study of matter from the atomic level to the bulk level.
What are electron shells?
Electron shells are the energy levels of each electron around the nucleus.
Do electrons move in orbits?
No, they move in strange ways around the nucleus.
What happens when electrons absorb light or heat energy?
They move to higher energy levels for fractions of a second. This is because they are unstable at the higher energy level compared to their original energy level.
What happens when electrons receive too much energy?
If electrons gain too much energy, they can leave the atom completely.
What is the valence shell?
The outermost shell of an atom.
What are valence electrons?
Electrons in the valence shell.
What is the atomic number?
The number of protons in an atom.
Why is it called atomic number?
Because it tells you the type of atom you have.
What is the mass number?
The number of protons and neutrons in an atom.
What are isotopes?
Atoms of the same element with the same number of protons but different number of neutrons.
Why are mass numbers in the periodic table with decimals?
They represent a weighted average of the mass numbers of isotopes accounting for their abundances in nature.
