Question key for UEE

CHAPTER ONE ATOMS AND PERIODICITY

Atoms

The atom is the base or building block for all matter. The atom is the smallest
particle which still retains all the physical and chemical properties of an element.
So, if you hold a pure gold nugget, the smallest piece of this element that would still
be considered gold would be one atom.

The atom is composed of 3 subatomic fundamental particles: the proton, neutron and
electron. The following table describes these particles:

Particle Charge Location amu

p + nucleus 1
n chargeless nucleus 1
e - orbit 0

amu - Atomic Mass Unit – 1/12 the mass of a carbon-12 atom

The general concept of an atom has been around for thousands of years. Around
440 BC, Leucippus of Greece originated the concept of the atom. Democritus
(Leucippus’s student), Aristotle and Epicurus added to this concept in the following
centuries. The following points are key to their theories:

Greek Atomic Theory:

1. All matter is composed of atoms, which are bits of matter too small to be seen.
2. Atoms cannot be further split into smaller portions.
3. There is a void, which is empty space between atoms.
4. Atoms are completely solid.
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5. Atoms are homogeneous, with no internal structure.

6. Atoms are different in their sizes.
7. Atoms are different in their shapes.
8. Atoms are different in their weights.

This is amazing in that we are talking about men who lived over 2400 years ago. At
the time they lacked the ability to properly clean their water, and frankly they did
not know what they needed to clean in the water, and here they are correctly
theorizing on atomic structure. The microscope will not be invented until 1590 over
a millennia away!

The next solid advancement in atomic theory comes from a Pennsylvania Quaker,
John Dalton. The following assumptions summarize Dalton’s theory.

Dalton’s Atomic Theory:

1. All matter is composed of extremely small particles called atoms.

2. Atoms of any given element are identical in;
• size, mass and properties
3. Atoms of different elements are different in;
• size, mass and properties
4. Atoms cannot be subdivided, created, or destroyed.
5. In chemical reactions, atoms are combined, separated, or rearranged.
6. Atoms of different elements combine in simple whole number ratios to form
chemical compounds. And sometimes will create more than one compound with
differing ratios.

The last point of Dalton’s postulate defines the law of Definite Proportions. This
law states that a molecule always has the same ratio of atoms. For example water is
ALWAYS H2O, It contains only two hydrogen and one oxygen. Another example,

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carbon dioxide, is always CO2, it never beC2O or C2O2. carbon dioxide will only
ever be CO2.

Note that many of Dalton theories are rewriting the Greek theory; the new concepts
are found in the final two points. The concept that atoms only combine in simple
whole number ratios and that chemical reactions are simply rearrangements of
atoms. These concepts were hard for the scientific community of the 1800’s to
accept. At the time Alchemy, was still holding firm, the search for the philosopher’s
stone was ongoing. The stone was the substance that would allow elements to be
converted to other elements through chemical means, as in the turning of lead to
gold. At the time it was known that both lead and gold were pure substance, which
could not be broken down into smaller parts. Dalton’s theory basically told the
alchemist you will never be able to turn lead into gold. Chemical reactions will only
rearrange the atoms that the lead atoms are combined with, it will never make gold.

The Greek and Dalton theories gave rise to questions of the atom’s structure. The
five most important scientists involved in the discovery of the atomic structure are
JJ Thomson, Ernest Rutherford, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg and James
Chadwick.

Thomson’s Atomic Theory

Thomson’s atomic Theory was called the Plum Pudding Model. In this model the
atom is a round object composed of a positive mass embedded with small negatively
charged particles. Thomson named his small negatively charged particles
corpuscles. The corpuscles were later named electrons.

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He discovered and proved the existence of electrons with the use of the cathode ray
tube, the forerunner of the tube use in televisions.

Cathode ray tube

Ernest Rutherford’s Atomic Model

Rutherford has modified Thomson’s model. His gold foil experiment is the key to
the center of the atom. In his experiment Rutherford used the new discovery of
radioactivity; a radioactive element is aimed at a piece of gold foil. The element
shot alpha particles at a piece of gold foil. The foil was surrounded by a wall coated
with a phosphorescent material. When the alpha particle impacted the walls a spark
of light was emitted. What Rutherford’s group of scientists found was that most of
the alpha particles passed right through the foil. This is contrary to Thomson’s
model as the alpha particles are positively charged and would surely be deflected by
a solid positive mass. The very interesting point was that the particles that did not
pass through were deflected or scattered. Some veered only slightly off their path,

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fewer were scattered to a larger degree and few yet were actually deflected back the
direction in which they came. Rutherford therefore concluded that the atom has a
very small, densely packed, positively charged center. Another scientist Frederick
Soddy proved that the positive center is actually composed of protons. Particles
with equal yet opposite charge to that of the electron, but 1839 times more massive.

Rutherford’s gold foil experiment apparatus

Though the two charged particles had been found by 1902, it took another 33 years
for the final particle to be discovered. The neutron, is as its name implies, neutrally
charged, in other words, it is not charged. This lack of a charge prevented it from
interacting with the many detection devices of the time. It would have been many
more years before its discovery if scientists, James Chadwick in particular, had not
been looking for the neutron. The push to find this third particle was due to the
variations in the masses of elements from different areas of the world. It seemed
that elements from different regions chemically behaved the same but the atoms in
the elements had a different mass. All forms of chemical analysis came up empty.

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The difference was the neutron, the uncharged particle of mass equal to that of the
proton.

Dalton’s second assumption in his atomic theory is that all atoms of the same
element are identical in size, mass, and other properties. While all atoms of the
same element have the same chemical properties regardless of its number of
neutrons, the size and mass portion of this assumption are incorrect. All atoms of
the same element have the same number of protons, but the number of neutrons may
vary.

Atoms with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons are
isotopes of each other. An interesting note is that most isotopes of a given element
are radioactive, only one or two are stable – non radioactive. The final two scientist
involved in the development of the atomic structure are Niels Bohr and Werner
Heisenberg.

Bohr’s Atomic model

Like Rutherford, these two did not discover one of the particles but instead they
described where these particles are to be found. Both Bohr and Heisenberg
described where the electron resides in the atom. Bohr developed his model in
1913, his model is the one that most of us envision when thinking about the atom, it
follows a planetary model. Rutherford’s nucleus acts like the sun to which the tiny
planetary electrons orbit. The electrons are place around the nucleus in
symmetrically larger orbits or shells as they were called. Each shell holds a specific
number of electrons.

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Bohr's Atomic Model

Bohr’s model is a good one, and is very intuitive:- the problem was that it did not
describe all the data that was being rapidly collected. Bohr’s colleague Heisenberg
developed our current atomic model based on the newly found science Quantum
Mechanics. To date this model has described much of the collected data, but not all.
It is only a model and cannot be proven. The quantum mechanics model use high
level calculus and wave functions to predicted the regions the electrons will occupy,
these regions are called atomic orbital. These positions do not follow Bohr’s
concentric orbital model, they are more complicated.

An interesting couple of notes on Niels Bohr

Upon flee persecution from the Nazi’s he was force to leave his Nobel Prize in
his Copenhagen laboratory. But knowing the Nazi’s would comb every inch of
the complex he dissolved his gold medal in aqua regia, a mixture of
hydrochloric and nitric acids and placed it on a shelf in his stockroom. After
the Germans surrendered, he returned to his laboratory, precipitated his gold
and had it recast by the Nobel Society.

Bohr showed the remarkable ability to recognize a break-through in science, even

when the break-through countered a theory of his own. Not only did he refrain from

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burying the new idea, he fostered it, championing the idea to the world on behalf of
his fellow scientist, this is how Heisenberg’s and many other brilliant scientists’
ideas found wide spread acceptance.

As stated more than 2000 years ago, atoms are very small. So small we still do not
have the technology to photograph one. Size-wise, an atom is in the 10-10 meter
range. Actually, in 1925, Werner Heisenberg, the author of the currently accepted
model for the atom stated that a photography of atomic sized particles is impossible.
It is termed Heisenberg’s uncertainty principal. The premise is that the atom is so
small, that the light used to photograph the atom is strong enough to move the atom,
so now the atom is no longer where it was and is no longer in the picture. All atoms
are neutrally charged. Meaning they are composed of equal numbers of protons and
electrons, and with the exception of hydrogen, a certain number of neutrons. Since
the neutrons have no charge, the atoms neutrality is unaffected by number of
neutrons.

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Looking at the above table you will see that the electron has no mass, 0 amu. This is
not completely true, but its mass, as stated before, is around 2000 times less than
that of a proton or neutron. So, when discussing an atom’s mass a count of the
protons and neutrons is all that is needed. An atom with 4 protons and 5 neutrons
has an atomic mass of 9 amu. The atomic number of an atom is simply its number of
protons. For example all carbon atoms have 6 protons. If you add another proton
you no longer have carbon you now have nitrogen. If you were given the following
table:

symbol atomic No neutrons electrons atomic mass

Na 11 12 11 23
P 15 20 15 35
U 92 146 92 238
Ti 22 25 22 47

Diatomics and Allotropes:

Most of the elements on the periodic table are found as individual atoms – in their
elemental state. But a few are found linked to themselves. A diatomic is an element
that is found paired with itself. There are seven diatomics found in nature on the
surface of the Earth. H2, N2, O2, F2, Cl2, Br2 and I2. With the exception of
hydrogen, they are all found together and they are all non-metals. Some other few
elements form poly atomic: oxygen can form a three atom triatomic (O3), but only in
the very upper atmosphere at very low pressures. Phosphorus form four atoms (P4)
and Sulfur form eight atoms (S8).

The name for these elements found in different combination or structure with
themselves is allotrope. So, you would say that O2 and O3 are allotropes of each
other. Sulfur forms an interesting S8 allotrope. Carbon has three noteworthy
allotropes, graphite (found in your pencils), diamonds and the Bucky ball (shaped
like Epcot Center or a soccer ball).

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Graphite diamond Buckyball

The three allotropes of Oxygen and their structure

EGESEC EXAM QUESTIONS

1. Among the following postulates of Dalton’s Atomic theory, the one that
was modified in the modern atomic theory is (2006)
A. atoms are the smallest particles of an element
B. atoms are indivisible
C. atoms are indestructible
D. atoms of more than one element combine to form compounds

Solution: Among the Dalton’s atomic theory given below, the one that was
modified by the modern atomic theory was “Atoms are indivisible” because
the existence sub atomic particles has disproved the postulate. (See the
following box for further)
Answer – B

2. Rutherford’s 𝛼 – particles on Gold foil experiment led to the conclusion

that each atom in the foil was composed mostly of empty space because
most alpha particles directed at the foil (2006)
A. passed through the foil
B. remained trapped in the foil
C. were deflected by the electrons in gold atoms
D. were deflected by the nuclei in gold atoms

Solution: Rutherford’s has proved that most part of the atom is empty,
because most of the 𝛼 particle passed without deflection.
Answer – A

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3. Which of the following statements best describes Bohr’s postulate about

the electronic structure of an atom? (2006)
A. Electrons occupy restricted orbits and their transition between the
orbits is accompanied by either absorption or emission of energy
B. Electrons occupy random space around the nucleus and transition is
not allowed for the electrons under any circumstance
C. When the electrons fall from the higher (excited) state to the lower
(ground) state, they absorb energy
D. when the electrons jump from a lower to a higher energy level state,
they emit a fixed amount of energy

Solution: Bohr’s postulate Electrons in atoms are allowed to be in certain

stationary states. In any stationary state, an electron moves in a circular orbit
around the nucleus. Each stationary state is associated with a definite
energy. No energy emissions occur while an electron is in a stationary state.
Absorption and release of energy occurs when it is displaced from its
stationary state. When it moves from a high-energy stationary state to a low-
energy stationary state (a transition), an emission (release) of energy takes
place. While it absorb energy when it jumps to a higher state. The amount of
energy is equal to the energy difference between the two stationary states.
Answer – A

4. Which of the following ideas is introduced by the quantum mechanical

model of an atom? (2005)
A. For atoms of the known elements, there are four types of
sublevels.
B. The structure of an atom resembles the solar system.
C. Electrons are embedded in a positively charged sphere.
D. Electrons revolve around the nucleus in a circular orbit called shell.

Solution: According to the quantum mechanical model, for the known

elements, there are four types of sublevels (𝑠, 𝑝, 𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓). Though quantum
mechanical model support the orbiting of electron around the nucleus, the
idea was first introduced by Rutherford.
Answer - A

5. Which sequence represents a correct order of the historical

developments that led to the modern model of the atom? (2006)
A. Most of the atom is empty → the atom is a hard sphere → electrons
exist in orbitals outside the nucleus

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B. The atom is a hard sphere → most of the atom is empty → electrons

exist in orbitals outside the nucleus
C. Most of the atom is empty → electrons exist in orbitals outside the
nucleus → the atom is a hard sphere
D. The atom is a hard sphere → electrons exist in orbitals outside the
nucleus → most of the atom is empty
Solution: During the era of Dalton and before, the atom was believed to be a
hard sphere. Ruther ford and scientists during his era had showed that most
part of the atom is empty. In recent day quantum theory has proved that
electrons are quantized.
Answer D

6. Which of the following statements is accepted both in Dalton’s and

Modern atomic theories? (2005)
A. Atoms cannot be subdivided, created or destroyed.
B. Atoms of the same element may have different masses.
C. Atoms of a given element are identical in mass and all other
properties.
D. Atoms of different elements combine in simple whole number
ratios.

Solution: Among the given choices, the statement which is accepted by both
theories was: Atoms of different elements combine in simple whole number
ratio.
Answer D

7. Which statement compares the masses of two subatomic particles?

(2005)
A. The mass of a proton is greater than the mass of an electron
B. The mass of a proton is greater than the mass of a neutron.
C. The mass of an electron is greater than the mass of a proton.
D. The mass of an electron is greater than the mass of a neutron

Solution: Regarding the masses of sub atomic particles, both proton and
neutrons are very heavier than electrons. The Mass of neutron is slightly
heavier than mass of proton
Answer A

8. The absolute (actual) mass of an electron is (2006)

𝐴. 1.6 × 10−19 𝑔 𝐵. 1.76 × 108 𝑔
−31
𝐶. 9.109 × 10 𝐾𝑔 𝐷. 9.019 × 10−28 𝐾𝑔
Solution: The actual mass of electron is 9.109𝑥10−28 𝑔 𝑜𝑟 9.109𝑥10−31 𝑘𝑔

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(𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 1𝑔 = 10−3 𝑘𝑔)

Answer – C

9. Gallium has two naturally occurring isotopes. Information about the two
isotopes is given in the table below. (2006)
Naturally occurring isotopes of Gallium
Isotope Atomic mass (a.m.u.) Percent natural Abundance (%)
Ga – 69 68.93 60.11
Ga – 71 70.92 39.89
What Is the average atomic mass of gallium in a.m.u.?
A. 69.54 B. 70.29 C. 70.00 D. 69.72

Solution: To calculate the relative atomic mass (RAM) of an element, first

multiply the atomic masses of the respective isotopes with their percent or
fraction of abundance and then sum up.
 60.11   39.89 
RAM (Ga) = 68.93    + 70.92    = 69.72
 100   100 
Answer – D
10. An ion that consists of 7 protons, 6 neutrons and 10 electrons has a net
charge of (2005)
A. 4+ B. 3+ C. 3 – D. 4 –

Solution: A neutral atom has equal number of electron and proton. But the
given ion has an extra 3 electrons (7 – 10 = - 3)
Answer C

11. An arbitrary element “X” has two naturally occurring isotopes. Information
about the two isotopes is shown in the table below. (2005)
Atomic mass
Isotope Percent natural
(atomic mass unit,
abundance (%)
u)
X-40 40 80
X-44 44 20
What is the average atomic mass of element X?
A. 41.5 B. 40.8 C. 42 D. 40

 80   20 
Solution: RAM (X) = 40    + 44    = 32 + 8.8 = 40.8
 100   100 
Answer – B

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12. How many neutrons are there in phosphorus atom having a mass
number of 3l and an atomic number of 15? (2003)
A. 16 B. 15 C. 46 D. 31

Solution: Number of neutron = A – Z = 31 – 15 = 16

Answer A

13. A model of an atom that describes an atom as positive sphere where

electrons are embedded in sphere is (2003)
A. Rutherford’s model B. Quantum mechanical model
C. Dalton’s model D. Thomson’s model

Solution: JJ Thomson a positive sphere in which the negative electron are

embedded within the sphere.
Answer D

14. All of the following are assumptions made in Bohr’s theory of an atom
EXCEPT (2003)
A. the electron in its orbit neither absorbs nor emits energy
B. the forces of circular motion and columbic attraction exactly balance
C. the nucleus consists of protons and neutrons
D. the electron can occupy only certain orbits

Solution: Bohr formulates his theory in 1913 and that time the neutron was
not discovered (James Chadwick discovered neutron in 1932). Thus, Bohr’s
atomic theory didn’t state about neutrons.
Answer C

15. The first atomic theory was proposed by (2003)

A. Democritus C. Aristotle
B. Dalton D. Thomson

Solution: The Greek philosopher was the first to propose about atoms by
stating “All matter was small unbreakable particles”, he called them Atoms.
Answer A

16. Unlike Rutherford, Niels Bohr viewed an atom as (2003)

A. an electrically neutral
B. a spherical body with a tiny nucleus
C. a spherical body with stable orbits
D. mostly composed of empty space

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Solution: Both Rutherford and Bohr explain the atom as electrically neutral,
spherical and composed of largely with empty space. Ruther ford view
electrons as planetary.
Answer – B

17. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that differ in their (2003)
A. member of electrons C. atomic numbers
B. number of protons D. number of neutrons

Solution: Isotopes contain different number of neutron

Answer D

18. “A compound always contains the same elements combined together in

the same proportion by mass”. This is according to the law of (2003)
A. definite proportions C. conservation of mass
B. conservation of energy D. multiple proportions

Solution: Law definite proportion [Refer check box for brief notes]
Answer – A

19. Which of the following postulates in Dalton’s atomic theory was disproved
by the modem atomic theory? (2002)
A. All atoms of a given element are identical
B. Two or more atoms combine to form a compound
C. All substances are ‘made up of atoms
D. Atoms of one element differ from atoms of any other element

Solution: One of the postulates of Dalton that are disproved by the Modern
Atomic theory is “All atoms of a given element are identical”. Because
atoms of a given element may contain different masses (ISOTOPES).
Answer – A

20. The scientist who determined the magnitude of the electron charge by
using an oil drop experiment is (2002)
A. Ernest Rutherford C. Joseph John Thomson
B. Robert Milliken D. John Dalton

Solution: R. Milliken determine the magnitude of an electron charge using oil

drop experiment.
Answer – B

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21. What is the average atomic mass of neon given the following data:
(2002)
Isotopic
Isotope Mass Number
Proportion
Neon-20 19.992 90%
Neon-22 21.991 10%

A. 20.99 B. 21.00 C. 17.99 D. 20.19

 90   10 
RAM (Ne) = 19.992    + 21.992    = 20.19
 100   100 
Answer – D

22. Which one of the following is the correct electron configuration of

the copper atom (29𝐶𝑢 )? (2002)
A. 1𝑠 2 2𝑠 2 2𝑝6 3𝑠 2 3𝑝6 3𝑑9 4𝑠 2 C. 1𝑠 2 2𝑠 2 2𝑝6 3𝑠 2 3𝑝6 4𝑠 2 3𝑑 9
2 2 6 2 1 6 10
B. 1𝑠 2𝑠 2𝑝 3𝑠 4𝑠 3𝑝 3𝑑 D. 1𝑠 2 2𝑠 2 2𝑝6 3𝑠 2 3𝑝6 4𝑠1 3𝑑10

Solution: Electronic configuration for Cu (Z = 29) is1𝑠 2 2𝑠 2 2𝑝6 3𝑠 2 3𝑝6 4𝑠 2 3𝑑 9 .

The 3d orbital contains 9 electrons and it would stable if it acquire an
electron by fulfilling its orbital. Thus, one electron will be promoted from 4s to
3d orbital [note that the 4𝑠 2 , stable full orbital will become half filled, 4𝑠1 ,
without losing its stability. Therefore, the stable ground state configuration
will be: 𝟏𝒔𝟐 𝟐𝒔𝟐 𝟐𝒑𝟔 𝟑𝒔𝟐 𝟑𝒑𝟔 𝟒𝒔𝟏 𝟑𝒅𝟏𝟎
Answer – D

23. The discovery of the small but massive positively charged nucleus in the
atom led to which model of the atom? (2002)
A. Bohr model C. Planetary model
B. Quantum mechanical model D. Plum budding model
Solution: From his observations Rutherford concluded that the atom had
a dense, positive central nucleus composed of positive charged protons. He
stated that the electrons orbited the nucleus - like planets orbiting the Sun.
Answer –

24. The total number of orbitals in the fourth main energy level(n = 4) is
(2002)
A.8 B. 16 C. 2 D. 4

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The 4S contain 1 orbital 1

4p contain three orbitals 1 2 3
4d contain five orbitals 1 2 3 4 5
4f contain seven orbitals 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Total orbital = 16 [ 1 + 3 + 5 + 7]

Solution: The fourth main energy level contain 4 sub energy levels [4s, 4p,
4d, 4f]

Answer – B

25. Isotopes are atoms of the same element which differ in their (2002)
A. number of electrons C. atomic numbers
B. mass numbers D. number of protons

Solution: Isotopes are atoms of the element with identical atomic number
(also have identical number of protons and electrons) but different mass
number ( also have different neutron numbers)
Answer – B

CHAPTER ONE REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Which of the following is true about subatomic particles?

A. Electrons have no charge and have almost no mass.
B. Protons are negatively charged and the lightest subatomic particle.
C. Neutrons have a negative charge and are the lightest subatomic
particle.
D. Electrons have almost no mass compared to the protons

2. All atoms are ____ .

A. neutral, with the number of protons equaling the number of
electrons
B. neutral, with the number of protons equaling the number of
electrons, which is equal to the number of neutrons
C. positively charged, with the number of protons exceeding the
number of electrons
D. negatively charged, with the number of electrons exceeding the
number of protons

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3. The nucleus of all atoms ____.

A. always has the same number of neutrons and is considered neutral
B. are positively charged because of the positive charge of the protons
C. are negatively charged because of the negative charge of the neutrons
D. are positively charged and it occupies the vast majority of the volume of
the atom.

4. The sum of the protons and electrons in an atom equals the _

A. atomic number B. charge of the atom
C. atomic mass D. mass number

5. What does the number 11 in the name boron-11 represent?

A. the atomic number
B. the mass number
C. the sum of the protons and electrons
D. twice the number of protons

6. Isotopes of the same element have different ____.

A. numbers of neutrons B. numbers of protons
C. numbers of electrons D. atomic numbers

7. All atoms of the same element have the same ____.

A. number of neutrons B. number of protons
C. mass numbers D. mass
8. What unit is used to measure weight average atomic mass?
A. photons B. picometers C. amu D. density

9. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Atoms of the same element must always have the same mass
B. Atoms of isotopes of an element have different numbers of neutrons.

C. The nucleus of an atom has a positive charge.

D. Atoms are mostly empty space.

10. Which of the following would be an isotope of an element that had 17

protons, 18 neutrons and 17 electrons?
A. 17 protons, 18 neutrons, 18 electrons
B. 17 protons, 18 neutrons, 16 electrons
C. 18 protons, 18 neutrons, and 17 electrons
D. 17 protons, 17 neutrons, and 17 electrons

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11. How many protons, electrons, and neutrons does an atom with atomic
number 75 and mass number 145 contain?
A. 50 protons, 50 electrons, 75 neutrons
B. 75 electrons, 50 protons, 50 neutrons
C. 120 neutrons, 50 protons, 75 electrons
D. 70 neutrons, 75 protons, 50 electron

12. How do the isotopes Carbon-12 and Carbon-13 differ?

A. Carbon-12 has one more electron than hydrogen-1.
B. Carbon-12 has 12 neutrons; carbon-13 has 13 neutrons
C. Carbon-13 has one more neutron than carbon-12
D. Carbon-13 has one more proton that carbon-12

13. The atomic mass of an element depends on the _______.

A. Mass of each electron in that element
B. Mass of each isotope of that element
C. Relative abundance of protons in that element
D. Mass and relative abundance of each isotope of that element
14. In the Bohr model of the atom, an electron in an orbit has a fixed ____.
A. position B. color C. energy D. size

15. How does the energy of an electron change when the electron moves
farther from the nucleus?
A. It decreases. B. It increases
C. It stays the same. D. It doubles.

16. What is the maximum number of electrons in the first principal energy
level (E1)?
A. 2 B. 8 C. 18 D. 32

17. What is the number of electrons in the outermost energy level of an

silicon atom (Z = 14)?
A. 2 B. 4 C. 6 D. 8

18. Emission of light from an atom occurs when an electron ____.

A. becomes excited and jumps to a higher energy level
B. relaxes and returns to its ground state
C. is in its ground state
D. is in its excited state

19. Which of the following elements is in the same period as krypton (Z =

36)? A. He(Z=2) B. Mg(Z= 12) C. N(Z=7) D. Br(Z=35)

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20. Who arranged the elements according to atomic mass and used the
arrangement to predict the properties of missing elements?
A. Henry Moseley B. Dmitri Mendeleev
C. JJ Thomson D. John Dalton

21. Of the elements Fr, Sb, Al, and Rn, which is a metalloid?
A. Fr B. Sb C. Al D. Rn

22. Each period in the periodic table corresponds to ______.

A. the number of valence electrons B. energy levels
C. the mass D. protons and neutrons

23. How does the atomic radius change from top to bottom in a group in the
periodic table?
A. it tends to decrease B. it tends to increase
C. It first increases, then decreases
D. It doesn’t change, it will always be the same

24. All atoms of an element have the same

A. number of neutrons C. atomic number
B. atomic mass D. mass number

25. A sample of element X contains 90% X-35 atoms, 8.0% X-37 atoms, and
2.0% X-38 atoms. The average atomic mass will be closest to which
value?
A. 35 B. 36 C. 37 D. 38
26. What subatomic particle was discovered in the cathode ray tube
experiment?
A. proton B. electron C. neutron D. gravitron

27. J.J. Thomson’s Cathode Ray Tube experiment led to the discovery of
A. the positively charged subatomic particle called the electron
B. the positively charged subatomic particle called the proton
C. the positively charged subatomic particle called the electron
D. the negatively charged subatomic particle called the electron

28. Which of the following does not follow Dalton’s Postulates?

A. All atoms of a given element are identical
B. All atoms look like a simple sphere
C. Compounds are formed by combinations of 2 or more different elements
D. Atoms of different elements have different properties and masses
29. When electrons in an atom gain or absorb enough energy, they can

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A. jump to the ground state B. fall back to the ground state

C. jump to an excited state D. fall back to an excited state

30. The chemical symbol 𝑆 2− represents a(n)

A. cation formed as a result of a sulfur atom losing 2 electrons
B. cation formed as a result of a sulfur atom gaining 2 electrons
C. anion formed as a result of a sulfur ion losing 2 electrons
D. anion formed as a result of a sulfur ion gaining 2 electrons

31. The idea of arranging the elements in the periodic table according to their
chemical and physical properties is attributed to
a. Mendeleev. c. Bohr.
b. Moseley. d. Ramsay.

32. Mendeleev left spaces in his periodic table and predicted several
elements and their
a. atomic numbers. c. properties.
b. colors. d. radioactivity.

33. Mendeleev attempted to organize the chemical elements based on their

a. symbols. c. atomic numbers.
b. properties. d. electron configurations.

34. Mendeleev noticed that properties of elements usually repeated at

regular intervals when the elements were arranged in order of increasing
a. atomic number. c. reactivity.
b. density. d. atomic mass.

35. Mendeleev is credited with developing the first successful

a. periodic table. b. method for determining atomic number.
c. test for radioactivity. d. use of X rays.

36. Mendeleev did not always list elements in his periodic table in order of
increasing atomic mass because he grouped together elements with
similar
a. properties. c. densities.
b. atomic numbers. d. colors.

37. In developing his periodic table, Mendeleev listed on cards each

element's name, atomic mass, and

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a. atomic number. c. isotopes.

b. electron configuration. d. properties.

38. Mendeleev predicted that the spaces in his periodic table represented
a. isotopes. c. permanent gaps.
b. radioactive elements. d. undiscovered elements.

39. Mendeleev's table was called periodic because the properties of the
elements
a. showed no pattern.
b. occurred at repeated intervals called periods.
c. occurred at regular time intervals called periods.
d. were identical.

40. The person whose work led to a periodic table based on increasing
atomic number was
a. Moseley c. Rutherford
b. Mendeleev d. Cannizzaro

41. Moseley's work led to the realization that elements with similar properties
occurred at regular intervals when the elements were arranged in order
of increasing
a. atomic mass c. radioactivity
b. density d. atomic number

42. Who used his experimental evidence to determine the order of the
elements according to atomic number?
a. Meyer c. Stas
b. Ramsay d. Moseley

43. The most useful source of general information about the elements for
anyone associated with chemistry is a
a. calculator. c. periodic table.
b. table of metric equivalents. d. table of isotopes.

44. The periodic table

a. permits the properties of an element to be predicted before the element
is discovered.
b. will be completed with element 118.

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c. has been of little use to chemists since the early 1900s.

d. was completed with the discovery of the noble gases.

45. What are the elements whose discovery added an entirely new row to
Mendeleev's periodic table?
a. noble gases c. transition elements
b. radioactive elements d. metalloids

46. What are the radioactive elements with atomic numbers from 90 to 103
in the periodic table called?
a. the noble gases c. the actinides
b. the lanthanides d. the rare-earth elements

47. What are the elements with atomic numbers from 58 to 71 in the periodic
table called?
a. the lanthanide elements c. the actinide elements
b. the noble gases d. the alkali metals

48. Which two periods have the same number of elements?

a. 2 and 4 c. 4 and 5
b. 3 and 4 d. 5 and 6

49. The periodic law states that the physical and chemical properties of
elements are periodic functions of their atomic
a. masses. c. radii.
b. numbers. d. structures.

50. Elements in a group or column in the periodic table can be expected to

have similar
a. atomic masses. c. numbers of neutrons.
b. atomic numbers. d. properties.

51. Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from J. J. Thomson's

cathode ray experiments?
A. No two electrons in one atom can have the same four quantum
numbers.
B. Practically all the mass of an atom is contained in its nucleus.
C. Atoms contain protons, neutrons, and electrons.
D. Atoms have a positively charged nucleus surrounded by an electron
cloud.

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