Atom, Atomic Structure and

Isotopic Abundance
“The beauty of a living thing is not the
atoms that go into it, but the way those
atoms are put together.”
― Carl Sagan, Cosmos
Atom

The word “atom” comes from the

Greek word “atomos” which means
indivisible.

The idea that all matter is made up of

atoms was first proposed by the Greek
philosopher Democritus in the 5th
century B.C.
 The model that the nature of
matter comes from the earth, fire,
air and water was conceptualized
by Aristotle and Plato because of
their position of prominence or
superiority as philosophers.
The atomos idea was buried
for approximately 2000 years.
 Atomic Model
Joseph John Thomson’s Model
“Plum Pudding”
Atoms were made from a
positively charged substance
with negatively charged
electrons scattered about, like
raisins in a pudding.
 Atomic Model

Ernest Rutherford’s Model

An atom’s positively charged
particles were contained in the
nucleus. The negatively charged
particles were scattered outside the
nucleus around the atom’s edge.
 Atomic Model

Neils Bohr’s Model

Electrons move in
definite orbits around the
nucleus. These orbits, or
energy levels, are located at
certain distances from the
nucleus. The way electrons
move around the nucleus is
like planets circle the sun.
 Atomic Model
The Wave Model
The probable location of an electron is based
on how much energy the electron has.

Electron Cloud

It is a space in which electrons are likely to

be found and whirl about the nucleus billions of
times in one second.
Electrons with the lowest energy are found in
the energy level closest to the nucleus whereas
those with the highest energy are found in the
outermost energy levels, farther from the
nucleus.
 John Dalton’s Atomic Postulates
1. All matter consists of atoms, tiny particles that cannot be
created nor destroyed from the mass conservation
statement by Lavoisier. Atoms are indivisible and
indestructible particles as said by Democritus.

2. Atoms of one element are NOT changed into atoms of

another element by chemical processes.

3. Atoms of a one element are identical in mass and other

properties and are different from atoms of any other element.

4. Compounds are formed by the joining of atoms of two or

more elements in specific ratios.
 Modern Atomic Theory by John Dalton
1. All matter is composed of atoms. It is indivisible and has
subatomic particles, and still the smallest body that retains the
unique identity of an element.
2. Atoms of one element cannot be converted into atoms of
another element in a chemical reaction. (In nuclear reaction this
doesn’t usually happen.)
3. All atoms of an element have the same number of protons
and electrons, which determines the chemical behavior of an
element. Isotopes of an element differ in the number of neutrons
and mass number.
4. Compounds are formed by the chemical combination of two
or more elements in specific ratios.
 Dalton’s Laws
1. The Law of Constant Composition:

“Any given compound always consists of the

same atoms and the same ratio of atoms.

Example:
“water always consists of oxygen and hydrogen
atoms, and it is always 89 percent oxygen by
mass and 11 percent
hydrogen by mass”
 Dalton’s Laws

2. The Law of Conservation of Mass:

Example:
“The total mass of materials before and
after a chemical reaction must be the same.
2H2 + O2 → 2H2O
4 g + 32g = 36g
85g + 15g = 100g
 Dalton’s Laws
3. The Law of Multiple Proportions:

“If two elements combine to form more than one

compound, the masses of one of the elements that can
combine with a given mass of the other element are
related by factors of small whole numbers”

Example:
Water, H2O has an oxygen-to-hydrogen mass ratio of 8:1.

Hydrogen peroxide, H2O2, consisting of oxygen and hydrogen,

has an oxygen-to-hydrogen mass ratio of 16:1.

The ratio of these two ratios gives a small whole number.

 Atomic Structure

Basic properties of an element

1) Atomic mass (Z)

Z = proton (p+) + neutron (n0)

2) Atomic number (A)

A = proton (p+ ) = electron (e _ )
Atomic Mass: Z = p+ + n0 Charge
(if ion)

Symbol
Atomic Number: A = p+ = e-
 When an atom or molecule gains or loses an
electron it becomes an ion.

A cation has lost an electron and therefore has a

positive charge

An anion has gained an electron and therefore has a

negative charge.
27 Protons: 13
Al+3 Neutrons: 14
13 Electrons: 10
 Metals which always tend to lose electrons.
Elements with 1, 2, or 3 electrons in their outer
energy level tend to lose electrons to fill their outer
energy level and become cations.

Nonmetals which always tend to gain electrons.

Elements with 5 to 7 electrons in their outer energy
level tend to gain electrons to fill their outer energy
level and become anions.

Semiconductors (metalloids) occur at the dividing

line between metals and nonmetals.
 Isotopes are atoms of the same element having different
masses, due to varying numbers of neutrons.
Example:
1 H H1
2 3H1
1
n0 = 0 n0 = 1 n0 = 2

Stable isotopes of an element have the same chemical

behavior, but the unstable isotopes undergo spontaneous
decay during which they emit radiation and achieve a stable
state and is useful in food preservation, archaeological dating
of artifacts and medical diagnosis and treatment.
Isotopic Abundance is the percentage of the atoms in a
naturally occurring sample of an element that consists
of a special isotope.

Calculating Average atomic mass

Average Atomic Mass

= abundance isotope A (as decimal) relative mass isotope A
+ abundance isotope B (as decimal) relative mass isotope B
+ abundance isotope C (as decimal) relative mass isotope C
Example:
What is the average atomic mass of Silicon, which is
widely used in producing computer chips, given that it
has 3 isotopes with the following percent abundances?
Isotope Abundance Mass
28Si 92.2% 27.977 amu
29Si 4.67% 28.977 amu
30Si 3.10% 29.974 amu

Average Atomic Mass 28Si

= 27.977(0.922 ) + 28.977(0.0467) + 29.974(0.0310)

= 28.077
Silver has two naturally occurring isotopes, Ag-107
(m=106.9u) and Ag-109 (m=108.9u) with isotopic abundances
of 51.8% and 48.2% respectively. Calculate the average
atomic mass of silver.

Ave. atomic mass = % Ag-107 x mass1 + % Ag-109 x mass 2

= (0.518)(106.9u) + (0.482)(108.9u)
= 55.37u + 52.49u
= 107.9u
Rubidium has two common isotopes, 85-Rb and 87-Rb. If the
abundance of 85-Rb is 72.2% and the abundance of 87Rb is 27.8%,
what is the average atomic mass of rubidium?

Isotope % abundance Fraction of mass

abundance

85-Rb 72.2% 0.722 85 amu

= 61.37
+
= 24.186
87-Rb 27.8% 0.278 87 amu
_____________
85.556 amu
Rubidium has two naturally occurring isotopes, 85Rb (relative mass 84.9118 amu) and 87Rb (relative
mass 86.9092 amu). If rubidium has an average atomic mass of 85.47 amu, what is the abundance of
each isotope (in percent)?

Ave. Atomic Mass Rb = {(relative mass 85Rb)( abundance 85Rb (as decimal)}
+ {( relative mass 87Rb)( abundance85Rb (as decimal) }

Let X = the abundance 85Rb (as a decimal) 1-x = the abundance 87Rb ( as decimal)

85.47 = X (84.9118) + (1 – X) (86.9092)

85.47 = 84.9118 X + 86.9092 – 86.9092 X

85.47 – 86.9092 = 84.9118 X – 86.9092 X

– 1.43 92 = – 1.9974 X

– 1.43 92
X= X = 0.72054 1 – X = 0.27946
– 1.9974

85Rb is 72.1 % and 87Rb is 27.9 %

What did the scientist say
when he found 2 isotopes of
helium?

HeHe
Thank you !
 REFERENCES:
Silberberg, M. S. (2010). Chemistry – Molecular Nature of Matter and
Change, 5th edition. McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.

Brown, T, LeMay Jr., H., Bursten, B., Murphy, C., and Woodward, P.
(2011). Chemistry – The Central Science, 12th edition. Pearson Prentice Hall
Inc.
Brown, L., Holme, T. (2018). Chemistry for Engineering Students,
Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd. Pasig City Philippines

https://socratic.org/questions/why-are-isotopes-important

http://www.cabrillo.edu/~aromero/CHEM_1A/1A_Practice_Problems/Practi
ce%20Problems%20(Chapte r%201)%20Isotopes%20-%20KEY.pdf

http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/history/dalton.html