CM1417

Fundamentals of chemistry

Structure of matter
Part 3
Atomic nature

Available at NUS Co-op @ Forum !!

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 Learning Objectives

 To determine the mass of the products in a reaction using the law of

mass conservation.
 To demonstrate the law of definite proportions.
 To appreciate the contribution of JJ Thompson, Rutherford and James
Chadwick to the current model of an atom.
 To describe the size of the atom
 To determine the mass number, atomic number and number of protons
neutrons and electrons from an isotope symbol
 To calculate the atomic mass using the fractional abundance and mass of
each isotope.

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 The observations supporting atomic theory
• Law of mass conservation : The total mass of substances does not
change during a chemical reaction.
Total mass of the reactants = Total mass of the products

3.25 g + 3.32 g = 6.57 g

Hg(NO3)2(aq) + 2KI(aq) HgI2(s) + 2KNO3(aq)

4.55 g + 2.02 g = 6.57 g 3

 Law of Definite Proportion
No matter the source, a particular compound is composed of
the same elements in the same mass ratio.

Source Sample Mass of O(g) Mass of C (g) Ratio (O:C)

Exhaust from a car 123 g of CO2 89.4 33.6 2.66:1

Air above a forest 50.5 g of CO2 36.7 13.8 2.66:1

Air above an industry 88.6 g of CO2 64.4 24.2 2.66:1

In any sample of pure carbon di oxide there are 2.66 g of oxygen

for every gram of carbon present.

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 Dalton’s Atomic Theory

John Dalton postulated that:

1. Elements are made up of tiny particles called atoms.
2. Each element is characterized by the mass of its atoms.
3. The chemical combination of elements to make different
chemical compounds occurs when atoms join in small
whole-number ratios.
4. Chemical reactions only rearrange how atoms are combined in
chemical compounds; the atoms themselves don’t change.

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 The Electron

• A high voltage is applied to the sealed tube containing gas at low pressure.
• A visible glow is seen regardless of the composition of cathode.
• This unusual form of energy emitted from cathode is named as cathode ray.
• In 1897, the British physicist J.J. Thomson demonstrated that cathode rays can be
deflected by magnetic and electric fields.
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 Conclusion

Cathode rays were presumed to be a component of all matter.

Cathode rays must be streams of charged particles.

As they are attracted by the plate bearing positive charges and repelled by the
plate bearing negative charges it must consist of negatively charged particles.

These negatively charged particles are named as electrons.

Later the mass and charge of these electrons are calculated to

be 9.10x10-28 g and -1.6022 x 10-19 C. 7
 The proton and the Nucleus
• For a atom to be neutral it should contain
equal amount of positive and negative charge.
• Experiment: Rutherford aimed a stream of
alpha particles at a very thin gold foil target
and examined the scattering.
• Observation:
(i) A small fraction of alpha particles were
deflected at large angles
(ii) Few were reflected directly back at the
source
(iii) Most were passing through the foil.
Rutherford’s • Conclusion: Both mass and the positive
Gold Foil Experiment charge are concentrated in a tiny fraction
of the volume of atom called the Nucleus.
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 The neutron
• The ratio of mass of helium and hydrogen
atom is expected to be 2:1

• However the actual ratio is 4:1

• Hence there must be another subatomic

particle.

• James Chadwick proved the presence of

electrically neutral particles and he named
them as neutrons.

• The protons and neutrons are present in

the tiny volume called nucleus.
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 The Atomic theory today
• The atom is an electrically neutral, spherical entity composed of a positively
charged central nucleus surrounded by one or more negatively charged electrons.
• Atoms consist of electrons, protons and neutrons.
• Protons and electrons have electrical charges, identical in magnitude but opposite
in sign.
• Neutrons have approximately same mass as protons but no charge.

1 amu (atomic mass unit) =1.660539 x 10-24 g

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 Atomic number (Z) and Mass number (A)

Elements differ from one

another according to the
number of protons in their
nuclei the elements atomic
number(Z)

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 Isotopes

Isotopes are atoms of an element with identical number

of protons, but a different number of neutrons.
Isotopes have the same atomic number, but differ in their
mass numbers.

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Sample problem:
Silicon (Si) has three naturally occurring isotopes: 28Si, 29Si, and 30Si.
Determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in each
silicon isotope.

SOLUTION:

The atomic number of silicon is 14; therefore

28Si has 14p+, 14e- and 14n0 (28-14)
29Si has 14p+, 14e- and 15n0 (29-14)
30Si has 14p+, 14e- and 16n0 (30-14)

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 Atomic masses of elements
An element’s atomic mass is the weighted average of the isotopic
masses of the element’s naturally occurring isotopes.

Why is the atomic mass

of the element carbon
12.01 amu?

carbon-12: 98.89 % natural abundance 12 amu

carbon-13: 1.11 % natural abundance 13.0034 amu

mass of carbon = (12 amu)(0.9889) + (13.0034 amu)(0.0111)

= 11.87 amu + 0.144 amu
= 12.01 amu
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Sample problem:
Silver (Ag, Z = 47) has two naturally occurring isotopes, 107Ag and 109Ag. From
the mass spectrometric data provided, calculate the atomic mass of Ag.
Isotope Mass (amu) Abundance (%)
107Ag 106.90509 51.84
109Ag 108.90476 48.16
SOLUTION:

mass portion from 107Ag = 106.90509 amu x 0.5184

= 55.42 amu
mass portion from 109Ag = 108.90476amu x 0.4816
= 52.45amu
atomic mass of Ag = 55.42amu + 52.45amu
= 107.87amu
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