3

CHAPTER
Atoms and Elements

Objectives
At the end of the chapter the student should be able to:
1. Identify and write the correct symbol for the common elements.
2. Identify and categorize elements with the use of the Periodic Table.
3. Describe the electrical charge of a proton, neutron and electron and identify
their location within the Atom.
4. Given the atomic number and the mass number of an atom, state the
number of protons, neutrons, and electrons.
5. Describe the energy levels, sublevels, and orbitals for the electrons in an
atom.

Introduction

As we have learned in previous chapters, elements are pure substances that are
made up of only one type of molecules, and cannot be broken down into simpler forms.
All matter is composed of these elements and we have 118 types. Among these, 88 occur
naturally and make up all the substances around us. Elements are present everywhere,
even inside the human body.

Chemical Symbols

Each element is assigned a symbol. These symbols are 0ne or two letter
abbreviations for the names of the elements. if the symbol has a second letter, only the
first letter is capitalized. This is so we will know when a different element is indicated.
Below are the symbols for common elements.
The Periodic Table of Elements

In 1869, Dimitri Mendeleev, was able to arrange the 60 elements known at that
time into groups with different properties. This has become the basis of the arrangement
of the 118 elements which we know as the periodic table.

Groups and Periods

Each vertical column on the periodic table contains a group (or family) of
elements that have similar properties. A group number is written at the top of each
vertical column (group) in the periodic table. For many years, the representative elements
have had group numbers 1 A to 8A. ln the center of the periodic table is a block of elements
known as the transition elements, which have numbers followed by the letter "B." A newer
system
assigns numbers I to 18 to the groups going left to right across the periodic table.
Each horizontal row in the periodic table is a period. The periods are counted
down from the top of the table as Periods 1 to 7.
Group Names

Several groups in the Periodic Table are designated special names such as:

• Group 1A Alkali Metals

• Group 2A Alkaline Earth Metals
• Group 7A Halogens
• Group 8A Noble Gases

Although hydrogen (H) is at the top of Group 1 A, it is not an alkali metal and has
very different properties than the rest of the elements in this group. Thus, hydrogen is not
included in the alkali metals.

Metals, Nonmetals and Metalloids

Metals are shiny solids, such as copper (Cu), gold (Au), and silver (Ag). Metals can
be shaped into wires (ductile) or hammered into a flat sheet (malleable). Metals are good
conductors of heat and electricity. They usually melt at higher temperatures than
nonmetals. All the metals are solids at room temperature, except for mercury (Hg), which
is a liquid.

Nonmetals are not especially shiny, ductile, or malleable, and they are often poor
conductors of heat and electricity. They typically have low melting points and low
densities. Some examples of nonmetals are hydrogen (H), carbon (C), nitrogen (N),
oxygen (O), chlorine (CI), and sulfur (S).

Metalloids are elements that exhibit some properties that are typical of the metals
and other properties that are characteristic of the nonmetals. For example, they are better
conductors of heat and electricity than the nonmetals, but not as good as the metals. The
metalloids are semiconductors because they can be modified to function as conductors or
insulators. Metalloids: B, Si, Ge, As, Sb, Te, Po, At, and Ts.

Atoms

All elements are made up of atoms. These are the smallest particle of an element
that retains the characteristics of an element.

Dalton’s Atomic Theory

1. All matter is made up of tiny particles called atoms.

2. All atoms of a given element are the same and different from atoms of other
elements.
3. Atoms of two or more different elements combine to form compounds. A particular
compound is always made up of the same kinds of atoms and always has the same
number of each kind of atom.
4. A chemical reaction involves the rearrangement, separation, or combination of
atoms. Atoms are neither created nor destroyed during a chemical reaction.
Electrical Charges in an Atom

Atoms are composed of smaller bits of matter called subatomic particles, three
of which are proton, neutron, electron. Two of these subatomic particles were discovered
because hey have electrical charges. A proton has a positive charge (+1), an electron has
a negative charge (-1) and a neutron has no charge. In an atom of an element, these 3
particles exist in equal numbers so an atom as a whole is neutral.

Structure of the Atom

An atom is composed of two regions: the nucleus, which is in the center of the atom
and contains protons and neutrons, and the outer region of the atom, which holds its
electrons in orbit around the nucleus.
The nucleus (center) of the atom contains the protons (positively charged) and the
neutrons (no charge). The outermost regions of the atom are called electron shells and
contain the electrons (negatively charged). Atoms have different properties based on the
arrangement and number of their basic particles.
Atomic Number and Mass Number

The atomic number is the number of protons in an element. The atomic number is
the whole number that appears above the symbol of each element on the periodic table.
An atom is electrically neutral. That means that the number of protons in an atom is equal
to the number of electrons, which gives every atom an overall charge of zero. Thus, the
atomic number also gives the number of electrons.

The mass number is the total number of protons and neutrons in an atom’s
nucleus. The number of neutrons for each element is variable, resulting in isotopes, which
are different forms of the same atom that vary only in the number of neutrons they
possess. For this reason, the mass number does not appear on the periodic table because
it applies to single atoms only.

The atomic mass or atomic weight of an element however is indicated in the

Periodic Table. The atomic mass is the average mass of an atom taking into consideration
the abundance of isotopes in the environment.

If we are given the mass number of an atom and its atomic number, we can
calculate the number of neutrons in its nucleus.

Number of neutrons in a nucleus = mass number - number of protons

For example, if we are given a mass number of37 for an atom of chlorine (atomic
number 17), we can calculate the number of neutrons in its nucleus.

Number of neutrons = 37 (mass number) - 17 (protons) = 20 neutrons