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Exam-style questions Atomic structure
Name ...................................................................... Class .................. Date .....................

1 Who was the first scientist to suggest that different elements contain different
types of atoms?
A Marsden
B Geiger
C Thomson
D Dalton

Your answer (1 mark)

2 Which one of the following is the smallest in size?

A An atom
B A proton
C A molecule
D An electron

Your answer (1 mark)

3 J.J. Thomson devised an early model of the atom. In this model Thomson
called the negative particles ‘corpuscles’.
a What name was given to this model of the atom?
Plum pudding method

(1 mark)

b In 1909 Geiger and Marsden tested Thomson’s model by firing positively

charged alpha particles at a very thin piece of gold foil. They expected
the alpha particles to go straight through the foil.

Figure 1
However, although most alpha particles passed straight through the foil,
some changed direction and some even came straight back.
i Suggest why this experiment caused Thomson’s model to be abandoned.

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Exam-style questions Atomic structure
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because Geiger and marsden clearly proved Thomson model inaccurate which
shows that there was no longer any need for Thompsons method because this
one was more accurate.

(1 mark)

ii Geiger and Marsden took lots of readings for the change of direction of the
particles. Suggest why.

Under the direction of Prof. Rutherford, they were exploring the scattering pattern of Alpha
particles by gold foil. Most alpha particles went straight through the gold foil and some got scattered
in different angles. Some got reflected straight back. The alpha particles are positively charged
particles. So they concluded that atoms are mostly empty space, the nucleus is very massive and
positively charged. Since atoms are electrically neutral, lighter negatively charged particles surround
the nucleus. That first glimpse of atom was deduced from the many photographic readings of
scattering of alpha particles, by gold foil, that they took.

(2 marks)

iii If scientists were to repeat Geiger and Marsden’s experiment today they
would have to be shielded by lead to protect them from radiation.
Suggest a reason why Geiger and Marsden did not take these precautions.

they weren't aware of these things due to the time period. safety at this level had not been
discovered.
(1 mark)

c A scientist called Rutherford then proposed a different model of the atom.

To explain Geiger and Marsden’s result, he thought about the interaction
of the gold atoms with the alpha particles.

Figure 2
Suggest why some of the positively charged alpha particles were repelled
backwards.

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Exam-style questions Atomic structure
Name ...................................................................... Class .................. Date .....................

Originally Rutherford thought that the particles would fly straight through
the foil. However, he found that the particles path would be shifted or
deflected when passing through the foil. This is due to the fact that like
charges repel each other.

As the positively charged alpha particle would fly through the foil it would
come in proximity with the positively charge nucleus of the atom. This in
turn either deflected the particle or adjusted its path.

(1 mark)

4 This question is about the modern idea of the structure of an atom.

a The diagram below shows the atomic structure of an element.

i Is this element likely to form a positive or negative ion?

negetive because that would mean there would be 1 more negetive charge than positive ones.
(1 mark)

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Exam-style questions Atomic structure
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ii What is the atomic number of this element?

7

(1 mark)

iii State why atoms of this element are neutral (like all other atoms).
because they have the same number of protons and neutrons

(1 mark)

b All the different atoms of this element have similar chemical properties.
All the Isotopes of an element have identical chemical properties. The reason for
this is because isotopes of an element have the same number of electrons as
an atom of that element but they have different number of neutrons which
affects the mass number.
Explain why.

(2 marks)

5 a Complete Table 1 below about the particles in atoms.

Particle Charge Relative Mass

proton 1 1 unit

neutron no charge 1unit

electron 1.602176634 × 10−19 1unit

Table 1 (2 marks)

b Suggest why the actual masses of the particles are not quoted in the table.
because the actual mass and charge of an atom are VERY small, ...

(1 mark)

6 The full chemical symbol for an atom normally includes two numbers.

a An element we will call Xy is written as:

Xy 1123 (Xy is not the symbol for the
atom.)
How many protons, neutrons and electrons does Xy contain?

Protons -x

Neutrons -x

Electrons -x (3 marks)

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Exam-style questions Atomic structure
Name ...................................................................... Class .................. Date .....................

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Exam-style questions Atomic structure
Name ...................................................................... Class .................. Date .....................

b Table 2 below gives information about four atoms or ions.

Number of Number of Number of

Species
protons neutrons electrons
A 5 6 5
B 6 6 6
C 7 8 10
D 8 9 8

Table 2

Which of the species A, B, C or D (which are not the symbols for the elements)
i has an atomic number equal to half its mass number?

A (1 mark)

ii is an atom of boron?

(1 mark)

cThe atomic radii of atoms are normally given in standard form.

i Suggest why the radii of atoms given in standard form and not as
ordinary numbers.
Atoms are so small that it is easier to write their size using standard form .

(1 mark)

ii The atomic radius of an atom of X is approximately 2  10─10 m.

Calculate the distance across a line of 200 atoms of X.
Give your answer in standard form.

m (2 marks)

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Exam-style questions Atomic structure
Name ...................................................................... Class .................. Date .....................

7 Describe the structure of a typical atom.

Your answer should include the particles present and where they are found.

An atom is a particle of matter that uniquely defines a chemical element.Most of the atom is empty
space. The rest consists of a positively charged nucleus of protons and neutrons surrounded by a
cloud of negatively charged electrons. The nucleus is small and dense compared with the electrons,
which are the lightest charged particles in nature.

An atom is a complex arrangement of negatively charged electrons arranged in defined shells about
a positively charged nucleus. This nucleus contains most of the atom's mass and is composed of
protons and neutrons (except for common hydrogen which has only one proton). All atoms are
roughly the same size.

(6 marks)

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