Atoms and elements

Everything is made from atoms, and there are over 100 different types. These are called elements, and
they can be divided into the metals and the non-metals.
Atoms
Everything is made from atoms, including you. Atoms are tiny particles that are far too small to
see, even with a microscope. If people were the same size as atoms, the entire population of the
world would fit into a box about a thousandth of a millimetre across!
We usually imagine atoms as being like tiny balls:

To make diagrams simpler we often draw atoms as circles:

Elements
There are over a hundred different types of atom, and these are called elements. Each element
has a special name. For example carbon, oxygen and hydrogen are all elements.
Lead and gold are elements too. A piece of pure gold contains only gold atoms. A piece of pure
lead contains only lead atoms.
Chemical reactions join or split atoms to rearrange them. But they cannot change one element
into another element, or anything simpler. A chemical reaction cannot turn lead into gold, becuse
it can't change the atoms into different elements.
Chemical symbols
Each element is given its own chemical symbol, like O for oxygen and Cl for chlorine. Chemical
symbols are usually one or two letters long, but sometimes three letters are used.
Every chemical symbol starts with a capital letter, with the second or third letters written in
lower case.
For example, Mg is the correct symbol for magnesium, but mg, mG and MG are wrong.
Take care to write chemical symbols correctly
Mg mg mG MG

Symbols and names
Sometimes it is easy to tell which element a symbol stands for. For example, O stands for
oxygen and Li stands for lithium.
But sometimes the symbol comes from a name for the element that is not an English word.For
example, W stands for tungsten (from the word wolfram) and Na stands for sodium (from the
word natrium).
The reason is that the same chemical symbols are used all over the world, no matter which
language is spoken, which makes them most useful.

The periodic table
All the different elements are arranged in a chart called the periodic table.
The horizontal rows are called periods.
The vertical columns are called groups.
Elements in the same group are similar to each other.
The metals are on the left and the non-metals are on the right.
One non-metal, hydrogen, is often put in the middle.
The main groups are numbered from 1 to 7 going from left to right, and the last group on
the right is group 0.
The periodic table

The zig-zag line in this diagram separates the metals, on the left, from non-metals, on the right.
Hydrogen is a non-metal but it is often put in the middle.
Notice that most elements are metals, rather than non-metals.
Each element has its own chemical symbol, made from letters. Remember that you will only find
elements in the periodic table and never compounds. So don't try to look for substances like
water and copper sulphate in the periodic table, because they are not there.
Metals
Iron, magnesium and gold are examples of metal elements.
All metals have these properties in common:
They are shiny, especially when they are freshly cut.
They are good conductors of both heat and electricity.
They can be bent without breaking (they are malleable).
Most metals also have these properties:
they are solid at room temperature, except mercury, which is liquid at room
temperature
they are hard and strong
they have a high density (they feel heavy for their size)
they make a ringing sound when they are hit (they are sonorous)

Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at standard room temperature and pressure
Mercury is the only liquid metal at room temperature.
Three metals are magnetic.
These are iron, cobalt and nickel. Steel is a mixture of elements but mostly iron, so it is also
magnetic. The other metals are not magnetic.
Uses of metals
You may have to match the use of a metal with a property that makes it suitable for that use. For
example, copper is used for electrical wiring because it is a good conductor of electricity, not
because it is a good conductor of heat.
Non-metals
Oxygen, carbon, sulphur and chlorine are examples of non-metal elements.
All non-metals have these properties in common:
they are dull (not shiny)
they are poor conductors of heat and electricity (they are insulators)
they are weak and brittle (they easily break or shatter)
Most non-metals have these properties:
they have a low density (they feel light for their size)
they do not make a ringing sound when they are hit (they are not sonourous)
Eleven non-metals are gases at room temperature, including oxygen and chlorine.
One non-metal, bromine, is a liquid at room temperature.
The other non-metals are solids at room temperature, including carbon and sulphur.
Curious carbon
Carbon is a solid non-metal element. Pure carbon can exist in two very different forms -
diamond and graphite. The table shows some differences between them.
Diamond Graphite
transparent and colourless opaque and black
hard soft

Diamonds are used in jewellery
Diamond is the hardest natural substance on Earth, but it is also very brittle and will shatter if hit
with a hammer.
Graphite is unusual because it is a non-metal that conducts electricity.
Diamonds are used in jewellery

Metals v non-metals
Remember that most elements are metals, rather than non-metals. The table summarises some
differences in their properties.
Properties
Properties of metals and non metals
Property Metals Non-metals
Appearance
Shiny Dull
State at room
temperature
Solid (except mercury, which is
a liquid)
About half are solids, about half are gases, and
one (bromine) is a liquid
Density
High (they feel heavy for their
Low (they feel light for their size)
Property Metals Non-metals
size)
Strength
Strong Weak
Malleable or brittle
Malleable (they bend without
breaking)
Brittle (they break or shatter when hammered)
Conduction of heat
Good Poor (they are insulators)
Conduction of
electricity
Good Poor (they are insulators, apart from graphite)
Magnetic material
Only iron, cobalt and nickel None
Sound when hit
They make a ringing sound
(they are sonorous)
They make a dull sound
Telling them apart
Notice that metals and non-metals have opposite properties to each other. It is usually easy to tell
metals and non-metals apart, but some tests are more reliable than others
For example using a magnet is not a good test to see if an element is a metal. That's because only
three metals are magnetic, not all of them.

Atoms and elements - Test
1.
Which of these is the smallest particle?
an atom
a molecule
a speck of dust
2.
Which of these is the correct symbol for magnesium?
MG
mg
Mg
3.
Which statement about elements is correct?
most elements are metals
most elements are non-metals
there are about the same number of metals and non-metals
4.
Where are the metals found in the periodic table?
on the left
on the right
scattered all over
5.
Which of the following is not a general property of metals?
shiny
good conductor of heat
poor conductor of electricity
6.
Which of the following is not a general property of non-metals?
brittle
strong
poor conductor of heat
7.
An element sinks in water and makes ringing sound when hit. It is most likely to be:
a metal
a non-metal
an alloy