Protons, Neutrons, & Electrons Flashcards
What are the three types of subatomic particles?
Protons, neutrons, and electrons
What is the name for the negative subatomic particles?
Electrons
How do we represent electrons in writing?
e^-
Why do we represent electrons as e^-?
To indicate their negative charge
What is the name for the positive subatomic particles?
Protons
Where are protons highly concentrated?
In the atom’s nucleus
True or False: Protons are much more massive than electrons by a factor of about 2,000
True
How do we represent protons in writing?
p^+
Why do we represent protons as p^+?
To indicate their positive charge
What is the name for the subatomic particle that has no electrical charge?
Neutron
How do we represent neutrons in writing?
n^0
Why do we represent neutrons as n^0?
To indicate that they have no or zero electrical charge
Where are neutrons found?
They are co-located with protons within the nucleus
True or False: The atom’s nucleus occupies just a tiny portion of the atom’s entire volume
True
True or False: Most of the volume of an atom is occupied by the “cloud” of electrons
True
Why do we use the term “electron cloud”?
The exact positions of the electrons cannot be known in general or at any particular time
What units of measurement do we use for describing the properties of tiny objects such as atoms?
Atomic mass unit (amu) and the fundamental unit of charge (e)
What is 1 amu equal to?
1.6605 x 10^-24 g
What are alternative units that are equivalent to the amu?
The Dalton (Da) and the unified atomic mass unit (u)
What does the fundamental unit of charge equal?
Equal to the magnitude of the charge of an electron = 1.602 x 10^-19 C
True or False: The sum of an atom’s subatomic particles does not equal the atom’s actual mass
True
What is the mass defect?
The “missing” mass in the sum of an atom’s subatomic particles when it does not equal the atom’s actual mass
What is the atomic number?
The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom
What letter is used to designate the atomic number?
z
Why is the atomic number so important?
It is the defining trait of the element that determines the identity of the atom
What must a neutral atom contain?
The same number of protons equal to the same number of electrons
What is also true about the atomic number?
It does not only tell us the number of protons in an atom, but the number of electrons in an atom as well
What is atomic mass/mass number?
The total number of protons and neutrons in an atom
What letter is used to represent atomic mass/mass number?
A
How do we find the number of neutrons?
The number of neutrons is the difference between the mass number and the atomic number
A - Z = number of neutrons
What is an isotope?
Atoms with the same atomic number but different mass numbers, elements therefore differ from one another based on the number of neutrons within the nucleus
What occurs when the numbers of the subatomic particles protons and electrons are not equal to one another?
An ion is formed, and the atom then becomes electrically charged
What is an ion?
An electrically charged atom
How can we find the charge of an atom?
Atomic charge = number of protons - number of electrons
What is an anion?
An atom that gains one or more electron (s), therefore exhibiting a negative charge
What is a cation?
An atom that loses one or more electron (s), therefore exhibiting a positive charge
What is a chemical symbol?
An abbreviation that is used to indicate an element or an atom of an element
What is the chemical symbol for hydrogen?
H
What is the chemical symbol for helium?
He
What is the chemical symbol for lithium?
Li
What is the chemical symbol for beryllium?
Be
What is the chemical symbol for boron?
B
What is the chemical symbol for carbon?
C
What is the chemical symbol for nitrogen?
N
What is the chemical symbol for oxygen?
O
What is the chemical symbol for fluorine?
F
What is the chemical symbol for neon?
Ne
What is the chemical symbol for sodium?
Na
What is the chemical symbol for magnesium?
Mg
What is the chemical symbol for aluminum?
Al
What is the chemical symbol for silicon?
Si
What is the chemical symbol for phosphorus?
P
What is the chemical symbol for gallium?
Ga
What is the chemical symbol for germanium?
Ge
What is the chemical symbol for arsenic?
As
What is the chemical symbol for selenium?
Se
What is the chemical symbol for bromine?
Br
What is the chemical symbol for krypton?
Kr
What is the chemical symbol for silver?
Ag
What is the chemical symbol for gold?
Au
What is the chemical symbol for barium?
Ba
What is the chemical symbol for iodine?
I
What is the chemical symbol for mercury?
Hg
What is the chemical symbol for lead?
Pb
What is the chemical symbol for uranium?
U
What is the mass of a proton in amu?
1.0073 amu
What is the mass of a neutron in amu?
1.0087 amu
What is the mass of an electron?
0.0005486 amu
In what way are isotopes of a given element always different? In what way (s) are they always the same?
Isotopes always differ in their mass number due to varying numbers of neutrons. Isotopes always have the same number of protons.
Which of the subatomic particles are a major contributor to an atom’s mass?
Protons, neutrons
Which of the subatomic particles are a major contributor to an atom’s volume?
Electrons
Which of the subatomic particles are charged particles?
Protons, electrons
Which of the subatomic particles are responsible for when two neutral atoms of the same element that may have different numbers of such present?
Neutrons
True or False: Protons and electrons have opposite and equal charges
True
Where does the nucleus exist within the electron cloud?
The center
True or False: The nucleus is not located within the electron cloud
False, it is located within the electron cloud
Is the A value subscripted or superscripted in a chemical symbol?
Superscripted
Is the z value subscripted or superscripted in a chemical symbol?
Subscripted
Why do cations result in a positive charge?
The charge of the atom turns positive because there are more protons than electrons considering an electron was lost
Why do anions result in a negative charge?
The charge of the atom turns negative because there are more electrons than protons considering an electron was gained