Section 1 - Pgs 3-9, 16-28 Flashcards
What is an atom?
A particle, without charge, that is made up of protons, neutrons and electrons.
What is a molecule?
Two or more atoms joined together by covalent bonds.
What is the structure of atoms?
- Central nucleus containing protons and neutrons
- Surrounded by shells of electrons
What is the charge of the nucleus?
Positive
What does the nucleus contain?
Protons and neutrons
Relative to the whole atom, how big is the nucleus?
Tiny
What do electrons move around the nucleus in?
Energy levels called shells
What is the mass of each sub-atomic particle?
Proton = 1 Neutron = 1 Electron = 0.0005
What is the charge of each sub-atomic particle?
Proton = +1 Neutron = 0 Electron = -1
In a neutral atom, the number of electrons…
… Equals the number of protons.
What happens if electrons are added to or removed from an atom?
It becomes charged and is now an ion.
What is an ion?
A charged atom.
What is the mass number?
The total number of protons and neutrons.
What is the atomic number?
The number of protons.
What defines which element an atom is of?
The number of protons (atomic number).
Which number (mass or atomic) is larger?
Mass number
How do you work out the number of neutrons in an atom?
Mass number - Atomic number = No. of Neutrons
What are isotopes?
Different atomic forms of the same element, which have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
What sub-atomic particles define the chemical properties of an atom?
The number of electrons.
Are isotopes chemically identical and why?
Yes, because they have the same number of electrons, which is what defines the chemical properties.
What is relative atomic mass?
The weighted average mass of the isotopes of that element. It is measured on a scale where carbon is exactly 12.
How many electrons can occupy each of the first 3 shells?
1st shell: 2
2nd shell: 8
3rd shell: 8
What is the significance of an atom having an outer shell which is not full?
It makes the atom want to react so that it has a full outer shell.
What do atoms want in terms of outer shells?
They want a full outer shell.