ATOMIC THEORY

Early Ideas:
 Leucippus and Democritus (5th Century BC) - defined matter as small, finite particles called
‘atomos’ (Greek word for Indivisible) that are moving particles that differs in shape and size.
 Aristotle - (disagreed Democritus’ idea. He concluded that matter is consist of 4 elements (fire,
air, water, and earth)

(These philosophers never considered testing their hypotheses. In their time they didn’t have
equipment that the next scientists have in order to prove the existence of atoms and their behavior)
(These ideas were forgotten not until John Dalton)

 John Dalton - By 1803, he challenged Aristotlean theory and drew upon the idea of atomos. He
determined that elements exist in discrete packets of matter. Atomic theory was finally
accepted in the scientific community.

(The next major advancement was a century later)

 JJ Thompson - Discovered electron by 1897. The Nobel Prize for his discovery was awarded by
1906. Also produced the Plum Pudding Model of an atom.
 Ernest Rutherford - Father of the Nuclear Age. In 1911, he investigated atoms closely by
shooting small positively charged alpha particles at a sheet of gold foil (through cathode ray
tube). Disproved JJ Thompson’s model. He concluded that atoms is consist of empty space with
few electrons. Most of the mass is concentrated on the center in which he termed as nucleus.
Why he used alpha particle? He used alpha rays because they have high speed and
least penetrating power among alpha , beta and gamma rays. As a result they will be least
affected by electron in the atom giving more accurate result.
 Niels Bohr - In 1913, he proposed his idea on the structure of atom where he revised
Rutherford’s idea into a more stable model of atom.
Some Main Points of the Bohr Model
I. Electrons orbit the nucleus in orbits that have a set size and energy.
II. The energy of the orbit is related to its size. The lowest energy is found in the smallest
orbit.

 Erwin Schrodinger - a prominent person in quantum mechanics. Proposed the Electron Cloud
Model.

(Ernest and Niels is a student of JJ)

John Dalton’s Atomic Theory

Many of Dalton’s hypotheses about the microscopic features of matter are still valid in modern atomic
theory.

He postulated:
1. Matter is composed of exceedingly small particles called atoms.
2. An element consists of only one type of atom, which has a mass that is characteristic of the
element and is the same for all atoms of that element.
3. Atoms of one element differ in properties from atoms of all other elements.
4. A compound consists of atoms of two or more elements combined in a small, whole-number ratio.
5. Atoms are neither created nor destroyed during a chemical change, but are instead rearranged to
yield substances that are different from those present before the change. (Law of Conservation of
Matter)

Fundamental Laws of Matter

1. Law of Conservation of Matter/Law of Conservation of Mass (Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794)

restated this principle for chemistry with the law of conservation of mass, which "means that the
atoms of an object cannot be created or destroyed, but can be moved around and be changed into
different particles.")
2. Law of Definite Proportions/Law of Constant Composition (Joseph Proust (1754-1826) formulated
the law of definite proportions. This law states that if a compound is broken down into its constituent
elements, the masses of the constituents will always have the same proportions, regardless of the
quantity or source of the original substance.
3. Law of Multiple Proportions (John Dalton proposed that when two elements form two different
compounds, the masses of the element that combine with a fixed mass of the other element can be
expressed as a ratio of small whole numbers.)

Atomic Structure

 Protons (positively charged subatomic particle)

 Neutrons (neutrally charged subatomic particle)
 Electrons (negatively charged subatomic particle)

Nucleus - is made up of protons and neutrons that makes up most of the mass of the atom.
Electrons orbit the nucleus in the electron cloud

Between the proton and electron as particles with opposite charges, they attract.
If they are attracted to each other, why don’t they just combine like a magnet?

Electron has speed (recall the characteristics of matter where particles move in constant motion),
they are constantly moving. When electrons move and then there’s a force of attraction called the
electrostatic force between the particles, the direction of the the movement would result the
electrons to orbit the nucleus.

Electrons tend to stay in their orbit unless the kinetic energy becomes high enough that the electron
can fly off turning the atom into an ion.

What is an ion?

Ion is also a particle with unequal amount of electrons and protons. An atom or group of atoms that
carries a positive or negative electric charge as a result of having lost or gained one or more electrons.
Therefore atoms acquire charge when they gain or lose electron.

Cation - positively charged ion, this has more protons than electrons, loses one or more electron
Anion - negatively charged ion, has more electrons than protons, gains one or more electron

Where can we find these ions in the periodic table?

They are found in the family or group 1-7 A

Atoms are electrically neutral if they contain the same number of positively charged protons and
negatively charged electrons. When the numbers of these subatomic particles are not equal, the atom
is electrically charged and is called an ion.

Going back to the electrostatic forces, where opposite charges attract and like charges repel.

What about the protons in the nucleus? What makes them stay together?

There’s another type of force (just like how there’s many kinds of energy, there are also different
kinds of forces), it’s called the strong nuclear force. This is the strong force binds quarks together in
clusters to make more-familiar subatomic particles, such as protons and neutrons.

This force is greater than the electrostatic force.

Properties of Subatomic Particles

 Mass - In describing properties of atoms we use different units in terms of their mass. We can
either use Atomic Mass Unit (amu) or in grams. Alternative units for amu is the unified atomic
mass unit (u).
 Charge - The charge (e) of the atoms is also expressed in Coulomb.
 Atomic Number - represented by Z. This is the number of protons in the nucleus.
 Mass Number - represented by A. This is the total number of neutrons and protons in an atom.
Therefore for the number of neutrons can be represented as A-Z
atomic number (Z) = number of protons
atomic mass (A) = number of protons + number of neutrons
A − Z = number of neutrons
 Isotopes - An isotope is one of two or more species of atoms of a chemical element with the
same atomic number and position in the periodic table and nearly identical chemical behavior
 but with different atomic masses and physical properties. Every chemical element has one or
more isotopes.

Particles in a given element with different number of protons (Z) makes the element different from
one another (refer to the periodic table)
Particles in a given element with different number of neutrons are different isotopes (if the number
of neutron is different, then the atomic mass (A) is also different, the different A makes them different
isotopes of a single element)
Particles in a given element with different number of electrons are different ion (When an element
gains an electron, there will be an extra electron, thus having an overall charge of -1. When an
element loses an electron, there will be more protons than electrons, thus having an overall charge of
+1)

If we look at the atomic mass (A) in the periodic table, we see a value with decimal places.

Shouldn’t it be a whole number since we are only counting the number of particles?

The reason they have decimals is because they are average atomic masses of all isotopes of the
element.

Atomic mass is the weighted average mass of an atom of an element based on the relative natural
abundance of that element's isotopes. The mass number is a count of the total number of protons
and neutrons in an atom's nucleus.

Figures

Joseph John Thompson

Ernest Rutherford’ Planetary Model

Niel’s Bohr
Erwin Schrodinger
Summary of the Prominent People

Law of Conservation of Mass

Law of Definite Proportions

Law of Multiple Proportions

Atomic Structure

Periodic Table
Properties of Subatomic Particles

Atomic Symbol
Isotopes
Why is there decimal in atomic mass?
Uses of Isotopes

Radioactivity - is the act of emitting radiation spontaneously.

Test

1. The percentage of copper and oxygen in samples of “CuO” obtained by different methods were
found to be the same. This illustrates the law of:
A. Law of Conservation of Mass
B. Law of Definite Proportions
C. Law of Multiple Proportions

2. The ratio of elements in pure water can change based on where the water is from. Example a spring
in Kansas compared to a spring in Europe.
A. True
B. Sometimes True
C. False

3.  One of Dalton's conclusions concerning his atomic theory was that all atoms of the same element
are -
A. Combined
B. Reacted
C. Different
D. The same

4. What is the main principle behind the Law of Conservation of Mass?

A. Heat must be added so that mass can remain constant.
B. Mass will always remain constant unless a chemical reaction occurs.
C. Matter does not change phase during a reaction.
D. The total magnitude of mass in a system does not change during a chemical reaction.

5. Which is not true about ion?

A. Cation - positively charged ion, Anion - negatively charged ion
B. Cation has more protons than electrons, Anion has more electrons than protons
C. Cation loses one or more electron, Anion gains one or more electron
D. Cation gains one or more electron, Anion loses one or more electron

6. Beryllium (Be) atom has 4 protons, 5 neutrons, and 4 electrons. What is the mass number of this
atom?
A. 4
B. 8
C. 9
D. 13

7. The oxidation number of a monatomic (composed of one atom) ion is the same as the charge of the
ion. The most common oxidation number for silicon in a compound would be:
A. +1
B. +2
C. +3
D. +4

8. Cobalt-60 is a radioactive isotope that is used as radiation therapy to prevent cancer . How do you
write this isotope?
60
A. 27 Co
27
B. 60 Co

9. The number of electrons in a neutral atom is equal to the number of protons. The oxidation
number of an atom is zero in a neutral substance that contains atoms of only one element. What does
these statements imply?
A. A neutral atom has no charge and therefore it has an oxidation number.
B. A neutral atom has no charge and therefore it has no oxidation number.
C. A neutral atom has a charge and therefore it has an oxidation number.

10. The number of electrons in a neutral atom is equal to the number of protons (Z). If Chlorine (Cl)
has an atomic number of 17, what is its number of protons?
A. 35
B. 17
C. 18

11. Iodine-131 is a radioactive isotope commonly used in nuclear medicine. How many protons,
neutrons, and electrons are there in this isotope?
A. There are 53 protons, 78 neutrons, and 78 electrons
B. There are 53 protons, 53 neutrons, and 78 electrons
C. There are 53 protons, 78 neutrons, and 53 electrons

12. Fill in the boxes

Symbol Atomic Mass Charge Number of Number of Number of
Number number (A) Protons (Z) Neutrons Electrons
B 5 10 0 5 5 5
C 6 14 0 6 8 6
39 +¿ 19 39 +1 19 20 18
K ¿
❑
Fe 26 56 +3 26 30 23

Symbol Atomic Mass Charge Number of Number of Number of

Number number (A) Protons (Z) Neutrons Electrons
B 5 10 0 5 5 5
C 6 14 0 6 8 6
39 +¿ 19 39 +1 19 20 18
❑ K ¿
Fe 26 56 +3 26 30 23
 Additional Information

Alpha Particle (α)

Alpha particles (also termed alpha radiation or alpha rays) was the first nuclear radiation to be
discovered, beta particles and gamma rays were identified soon after. Alpha particles can't penetrate
the normal layer of dead cells on the outside of our skin but can damage the cornea of the eye. Alpha-
particle radiation is normally only a safety concern if the radioactive decay occurs from an atom that
is already inside the body or a cell. Alpha-particle emitters are particularly dangerous if inhaled,
ingested, or if they enter a wound.

Symbol Atomic Mass Charge Number of Number of Number of

Number number (A) Protons (Z) Neutrons Electrons
B 5 10 0 5 5 5
C 6 14 0 6 8 6
39 +¿ 19 39 +1 19 20 18
❑ K ¿
Fe 26 56 +3 26 30 23