Atomic Structure & the Periodic Table

Atom and atomic structure

 Elements are made of tiny particles of matter called atoms
 Each atom is made of subatomic particles called protons, neutrons and electrons
 Their size is so tiny that we can’t really compare their masses in conventional units such
as kilograms or grams, so a unit called the relative atomic mass is used
 One relative atomic mass unit is equal to the mass of a carbon-12 atom.
 All other elements are measured relative to the mass of a carbon-12 atom and since
these are ratios, the relative atomic mass has no units
 Hydrogen for example has a relative atomic mass of 1, meaning that 12 atoms of
hydrogen would have exactly the same mass as 1 atom of carbon
 The relative mass and charge of the subatomic particles are shown below:

Defining Proton Number

 The atomic number (or proton number) is the number of protons in the nucleus of an

atom. The symbol for this number is Z
 It is also the number of electrons present in an atom and determines the position of the
element on the Periodic Table

Defining Nucleon Number

 Nucleon number (or mass number) is the total number of protons and neutrons in the

nucleus of an atom. The symbol for this number is A
 The nucleon number minus the proton number gives you the number of neutrons of an
atom
  Note that protons and neutrons can collectively be called nucleons.
 The atomic number and mass number for every element is on the Periodic Table

Electrons (symbol e–)

 These subatomic particles move very fast around the nucleus

 They move in orbital paths called shells
 The mass of the electron is negligible, hence the mass of an atom is
contained within the nucleus where the neutron and proton reside
Electron configuration
 Defining Isotopes

 Isotopes are atoms of the same element that contain the same number of protons and

electrons but a different number of neutrons.
 The symbol for an isotope is the chemical symbol (or word) followed by a dash and then
the mass number.
 So C-14 is the isotope of carbon which contains 6 protons, 6 electrons and 14 – 6 = 8
neutrons.

The atomic structure and symbols of the three isotopes of hydrogen:

Types of Isotope

 Isotopes can be divided into two categories: radioactive and non-radioactive

 Radioactive isotopes (radioisotopes) are unstable due to the imbalance of neutrons and
protons, which causes the nucleus to decay over time through nuclear fission and
emit radiation. Examples of radioisotopes include tritium and carbon-14
 Decay occurs at a different rate for each isotope, but the time taken for the radioactivity
of an isotope to decrease by 50% is constant for that particular isotope and is known as
the half-life
 Radioactive isotopes have numerous medical and industrial uses
 Non-radioactive isotopes are stable atoms which really only differ in their mass

Uses of Radioactive Isotopes

Medical uses

 Radiation is extremely harmful and kills cells so isotopes are used to treat cancer. The
isotope cobalt-60 is frequently used for this purpose
 Medical tracers as certain parts of the body absorb isotopes and others do not. In this
way an isotope can be injected into the blood and its path through the body traced with
a radioactive detecting camera, revealing the flow of blood through bodily systems
 Medical instruments and materials are routinely sterilized by exposure to radiation,
which kills any bacteria present

Industrial uses

 Radioactive dating uses the carbon-14 isotope to date carbon-containing materials such

as organic matter, rocks and other artefacts. The half-life of C-14 is 5730 years and so
this technique is often used to date very old historical objects
 Similar to medical use, radioactive tracers are deployed to detect leaks in gas or oil
pipes
 The radioactive isotope uranium-235 is used as nuclear in power plants in controlled
fission reactions