Topic 1 - Atomic Structure and Periodic Table

Question 1

what is the relative charge of a neutron?

Answer 1

0

Question 2

what is the relative charge of an electron?

Answer 2

-1

Question 3

what is the relative charge of an proton?

Answer 3

+1

Question 4

what is the relative mass of a neutron?

Answer 4

1

Question 5

what is the relative mass of a proton?

Answer 5

1

Question 6

what is the relative mass of an electron?

Answer 6

1/1840

Question 7

what is an isotope?

Answer 7

atoms with the same atomic number, but different mass number

Question 8

what is relative isotopic mass?

Answer 8

the mass of one atom of an isotope compared to 1/12th of a carbon-12 atom’s mass

Question 9

what is relative atomic mass?

Answer 9

the average mass of one atom compared to 1/12th of a carbon-12 atom’s mass

Question 10

what is relative molecular mass?

Answer 10

the average mass of one molecule compared to 1/12 of a carbon-12 atom’s mass

Question 11

what do the different peaks on a mass spectrometry graph mean?

Answer 11

they represent the different fragments of ions

Question 12

what is first ionisation energy?

Answer 12

the energy required to remove one mole of electrons from one mole of gaseous atoms

Question 13

what are the three factors affecting first ionisation energy?

Answer 13

1. atomic radius
2. nuclear charge
3. electron shielding

Question 14

how does atomic radius affect ionisation energy?

Answer 14

the bigger the atom, the further away the outermost electrons will be from the nucleus and the weaker the attraction

Question 15

how does nuclear charge affect ionisation energy?

Answer 15

the more protons that are in the nucleus, the stronger the electrostatic attraction between the electrons and the nucleus

Question 16

how does electron shielding affect ionisation energy?

Answer 16

the inner electron shells that are filled repel the outer (valence) electrons

Question 17

why is the second ionisation energy always bigger than the first?

Answer 17

when one electron is removed it leaves a positive ion, increasing the attraction between the nucleus and electrons

Question 18

what does a big jump between ionisation energies indicate?

Answer 18

the smaller ionisation energy shows the group of the atom, because a new electron in a new shell takes more energy to remove

Question 19

what is periodicity?

Answer 19

a regularly repeating pattern of atomic, chemical and physical properties as atomic number increases

Question 20

why does helium have the highest ionisation energy?

Answer 20

there is only one electron near the nucleus, so the attraction is very strong and there is no shielding present

Question 21

why does first ionisation energy decrease down a group?

Answer 21

as you go down a group, one extra shell of electrons is added. this increases the distance from the nucleus and also increases shielding.

Question 22

why does first ionisation energy increase across a period?

Answer 22

the number of protons (nuclear charge) increases, strengthening the attraction between electrons and nucleus, and pulling electrons closer.
the shielding stays the same in the same shell.

Question 23

what is the electron configuration structure? (up to 6d)

Answer 23

1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, 5s, 4d, 5p, 6s, 4f, 5d, 6p, 7s, 5f, 6d

Question 24

how many electrons can a S orbital hold?

Answer 24

2

Question 25

how many electrons can a P orbital hold?

Answer 25

6

Question 26

how many electrons can a D orbital hold?

Answer 26

10

Question 27

what is the shape of an S orbital?

Answer 27

spherical

Question 28

what is the shape of a P orbital?

Answer 28

dumbbell shaped

Question 29

why is there a drop from Mg to Al’s ionisation energy?

Answer 29

Al starts to fill a 3p subshell, while Mg’s electrons are still in 3s. This outer subshell is protected by shielding and also higher in energy.

Question 30

why does atomic radius increase down a group?

Answer 30

an extra electron shell is added, increasing shielding, decreasing attraction

Question 31

why does atomic radius decrease across a period?

Answer 31

nuclear charge increases - protons are being added

shielding stays constant - same shell