ATOMIC CONSTITUTION OF MATTER

ELEMENTARY PARTICLES

Atoms are made up of several components which are commonly known as

elementary particles. These are three major elementary particles of atom, these are,
protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Review of Basic Concepts of Atom

A.
The proton (p) and the neutron (n) are packed together in an inner core called
the ______________. Surrounding the nucleus are the sub- atomic particles or
elementary particle called _____________. The outer part of the atom that contains the
negatively charged elementary particles is called ______________________________.
The electron has a negative electrical charge and is symbolized by e-. Remember
that like electrical charges repel each other and, unlike charges attract.

B. Indicate whether the following pairs of charges would attract or repel each other.
a. + + _________________ c. - + __________________
b. - - _________________ d. + - __________________

C. The neutron was named for its electrical characteristics. It has no electrical charge; it
is neutral. This means that the positive charges of the nucleus must be due to the
second type of particles it contains, which is known as ____________________.
D. so far, the, we have this picture of atomic structures:
1. An atom consists of an inner part, or _______________ that is made up of
_______________ and _______________.
2. The electron has what type of change? ________________
3. The proton carries the charge of ________________.
4. The neutron has a charge of ___________________.
5. The charge on the electron balances the charge on the proton. If the electron has
a charge of -1, then the proton would have a charge of _________( -1, +1, -+1).
6. An atom with one proton in its nucleus and one electron outside that nucleus
would therefore have an overall charge of ___________ (+1, -1, 0)
7. Atoms are electrically neutral. This means that an atom will contain: (mark your
answer with x)

________ more protons than electrons

________ more electrons than protons
________ an equal number of protons and electrons

8. An atom with 12 protons in the nucleus would have how many electrons outside
the nucleus? _____________
9. The atoms with the simplest structure is hydrogen.
a. The nucleus of the hydrogen atom consists of one __________________.
b. The outer part of the atom, the electron cloud, contains one
_______________.
10. Potassium atom, a nonpoisonous element and required by living things, contains
how many:

__________ protons __________ neutrons __________ electrons

11. Aluminum atom where aluminum foil used in wrapping foods are made up,
contains how many:

__________ protons __________ neutrons __________ electrons

12. Iron, the major component of a large number of alloys called steel, and with much
improved properties, such as stainless steel, contains how many:

__________ protons __________ neutrons __________ electrons

 ATOMIC NUMBER

There are over 100 known elements. Each element has two numbers
associated with it, numbers that give certain facts about the structure of its atoms.

The first number is the atomic number. This number also corresponds to
the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. Furthermore, the number of
neutrons can be found by subtracting the atomic number of an element from its
mass number.

13. Helium is used to inflate lighter than air- balloons and airships. It is also used as
artificial atmosphere for deep diving. It contains 2 protons, so the atomic number
of Helium is _________.
14. Xenon is the heaviest and rarest of the naturally occurring inert gases in air. It
produces a beautiful blue glow in fluorescent tubes. It contains 54 protons, 77
neutrons and 54 electrons. The atomic number of Xenon is __________.
15. Tin is constituent of bronze. It is also used as coating for cheaper metals like iron
or steel and it is also used for tin roofing and tin cans. A Tin atom has an atomic
number of 50, therefore, its nucleus contains __________ protons. If it contains
12 electrons, how many neutrons does its nucleus contain?__________
16. Therefore, the atomic number of an element indicates the number of
____________ in the nucleus of the atom, and also the number of ____________
outside the nucleus.

MASS NUMBER

The second number associated with each atom is the mass number. The mass
number expresses the sum of the masses of the particles in the atom.
The mass number of a nucleus is equal to the number of protons and neutrons in
the nucleus. The mass number is always a whole number. The mass number is written
as a superscript to the left of the symbol. Thus, 12 6C indicates carbon atom with an
atomic number of 6 and a mass number of 12.

17. About 80% in our atmosphere is elemental nitrogen, which is required for many
organic compounds. Its compounds are included in many fertilizers. It has an
atomic mass of _________. ( Refer to previous concepts on atomic number)
18. Zinc is a constituent of brass. It is used to cover other metals to protect from
oxidation. The process of coating metals with zinc is called galvanizing. It has a
 mass number of 65 and an atomic number of 30. The number of neutrons of the
zinc atom is _______.
19. Silicon the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust has an atomic
number of 14 and a mass number of 28. Silicon atom then contains:
___________ protons in its nucleus
___________ neutrons in its nucleus
___________ electrons outside its nucleus
20. Phosphorus comes in three allotropes, the white, yellow and red phosphorous. It
has 15 protons and 16 neutrons. Determine its:
___________ atomic mass
___________ atomic number
___________ number of electrons
21. Iodine in alcohol solution is a commonly used antiseptic. Lack of iodine in humans
causes goiter. The iodine element has an atomic number of 53 and mass number
of 127. Indicate the number of protons, neutrons and electrons on the blanks in
the diagram.

____e-
___p
___n

Iodine
22. Diagram the structure of Cobalt atom, atomic number 27 and mass number 59.
____e -
___p
___n

23. The Indium atom has an atomic number ________, and mass number of
________.
24. Praseodymium has the atomic structure below:

59p
59e
82n

25. Radon atom, the heaviest of the inert gases and a radioactive gas has an atomic
number of 86 and 136 neutrons, therefore, it has

____________ protons
____________ electrons
 ____________ as its atomic mass
ISOTOPES

26. Draw the structure of Germanium atom, atomic number 32 and mass number of
70.
Proton ________
Neutron _______
Electron _______

27. Draw the structure Germanium atom, atomic number 32 and mass number of 73.

Proton ________
Neutron _______
Electron _______

28. Draw the structure of Germanium atoms:

32 p 32p
38 n 41n
32 e- 32e-

a. These atoms have ___________________(the same/ different) atomic

number(s).
b. These atoms have _____________________ (the same /different) mass
number (s).
Such atoms are called isotopes
29. Isotopes, then, may be defined as atoms that have:
_____ the same atomic number and the same mass number
_____ different atomic numbers
_____ different mass numbers and the same atomic number

30. Draw the two isotopes of Rubidium, atomic number 37 and mass numbers 85 and
87.

a. Rubidium 85 b. Rubidium 87
 31. Draw the three isotopes of Argon, atomic number 18, and mass numbers 36, 38,
and 40.

A. Argon 36 B. Argon 38 C. Argon 40

32. Radioisotopes, isotopes that give off radiation, are frequently used in medical
applications. I -131 (radioactive iodine, also written as 131 I) is used in the
diagnosis and the treatment of thyroid conditions. How does I -131, radioactive
iodine, compare with I – 127, nonradioactive iodine, in 131, radioactive iodine, in

a. Atomic number __________________

b. Mass number ___________________

ELECTRON ENERGY LEVELS

The electrons are located outside of the nucleus of the atom. These
electrons make up the electron cloud, which may be subdivided into different energy
levels. The first energy level is nearest the nucleus; then comes the second energy
level, the third energy level, and so on.

Each energy level can hold a certain maximum number of electrons. This
maximum number may be determined by using the formula X = 2n 2 (X is the maximum
number of electrons in energy level number n).

33. Using the formula X=2n2, if n=1, then X= _________. The energy level indicated
by n=1 is the first energy level. Therefore, the first energy can hold a maximum
_____ electrons.

34. Can the first energy level hold less than two electrons? _________
35. Can the first energy level hold more than two electrons? _________
36. For the second energy level, where n=2, the maximum number of electrons is
________.
37. The maximum number of electrons in the third energy level is ________.
 38. The maximum number of electrons in the fourth energy level is ________.
39. Label the maximum number of electrons possible in each energy level in the
diagram.

Just remember that the first energy level must be filled first with two (2) electrons before
electrons can go into the second energy level.

40. The second energy level must be filled with ________ electrons before electrons
can go into the third energy level.

Other energy levels can be filled up with the maximum number of electrons that
they could contain.

ENERGY SUBLEVELS

An energy level is composed of sublevels, differing from another in their spatial

arrangement. The sublevels are composed of atomic orbitals, also called orbitals. The
rules relating to sublevels are

1. Each energy level has one s sublevel containing one s orbital.

2. Beginning with the second energy level, each level contains a p sublevel, which
consists of three p orbitals.
3. Beginning with the third energy level, each energy level contains a d sublevel,
which consist of five d orbitals.
4. Beginning with the fourth energy level, each energy level contains as f sublevels,
which consists of seven f orbitals.
5. Each orbital can contain no more than two electrons.
6. Each group of orbitals must be completely filled before electrons can begin to fill
the next one.

This can be represented as follows:

Sublevels s p d f
Number of Orbitals 1 3 5 7
Total number of electrons possible 2 6 10 14

If only the s sublevels are filled, there is a total of 2 electrons.

If the s and p sublevel are filled, there is a total of 8 electrons.
If the s, p, and d sublevels are filled, there is a total of 18 electrons.
If the s, p, d, and f sublevels are filled, there is a total of 32 electrons.

Recall the maximum number of electrons in the first, second, third, and fourth
energy levels is 2, 8, 18, 32, respectively.

The orbitals are filled in a very definite sequence as indicated in the following
chart.

The order of filling the orbitals can be found by reading diagonally upward in the
direction indicated by the arrows. Thus, the orbitals are filled in the order 1s, 2s,
2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, and so on.
 Hydrogen, 1H, has only one electron. This electron must fill the lowest energy
sublevel, h 1s orbital, so the hydrogen atom is indicated as 1s 1, which means one
electron in the s orbital of the first energy level.

Helium, 2 He, has two electrons, both of these electrons can go into the 1s orbital
since this orbital can hold a total of two electrons. Thus, helium may be indicated
as 1s2, meaning two electrons in the s orbital of the first energy level.

Lithium, 3Li, has a total of three electrons. The 1s orbital can hold only two
electrons, or 1s2. The remaining electron must go into the next available orbital,
the 2s orbital, so the electron arrangement for lithium is 1s 2 2s1, where the 2s1
indicates one electron in the s orbital of the secondary energy level.

For Beryllium, 4 Be, there is a total of four electrons. The first orbital, the 1s, can
hold two electrons, or 1s2, the next orbital, the 2s, can also hold two electrons, or
2s2, so the electron arrangement for beryllium is 1s2 2s2.

For Boron 5B, there is a total of five electrons. The first orbital, the 1s,can hold
two electrons, or 1s2. The second orbital, the 2s, can also hold two electrons, or
2s2. The fifth electron must go to the next available orbital, the 2p, or 2p1, so the
electron arrangement for boron is 1s2 2s2 2p1.

41. There are 12 electrons in Magnesium atoms. How may energy level will the Mg
have? _______.

Show the diagram of Magnesium atom with the correct distribution of electrons in
its energy level.

Illustrate the diagram here:

42. The Vanadium atom has atomic number of 23 and mass number of 51.

a. Vanadium atom contains _________ protons.

b. Vanadium atom contains _________neutrons.
c. Vanadium atom contains _________electrons.
d. Show the structure of the Vanadium atom below:
43. A. in the element Strontium, atomic number38, there are how many electrons?
__________

B. How many energy levels will the sodium atom have? __________

C. How many electrons will each energy level of the Strontium atom have?

_____1st energy level _____2nd energy level

_____3rd energy level _____4th energy level

_____5th energy level

44. Diagram the structure of Yttrium atom, with an atomic number of 39 and mass
number of 89. Include the location and number protons, electrons, and neutrons.

Illustrate the structure of Yttrium atom below: