Atomic Structure and the Periodic

Table

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All Matter is Made of Atoms
⚫ Hydrogen is the most
common atom of our
universe

⚫ Types of atoms in Earth’s

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Crust
Iron 5%, Aluminum 8%,
Silicon 28%, Oxygen 47%,
Other 12%

⚫ Types of atoms in Humans

Nitrogen 3%, Hydrogen 10%,
Oxygen 61%, Other 26 % bubblingbrain.wordpress.com
Names and Symbols of Elements
⚫ Each element has its own symbol

⚫ Some elements use the first letter of the name:

hydrogen (H), Sulfur (S),Carbon (C)

⚫ Other elements use the first letter of the name

plus another letter: aluminum (Al), Platinum (Pt),
Zinc (Zn)

⚫ The first letter is always capitalized and the

following letters are lower case.
 Early Greek Philosophers
determined that atoms are the
building blocks of matter.
John Dalton (1766–1844)
⚫John Dalton’s theory of the
atom started out as a solid
sphere with no charges

⚫Proposed the atomic theory

by investigating atomic
weights of atoms
 J.J. Thomson determines that an atom
is made up of negative electrons
embedded in a sea of positive charges .

+ +
- -+
- -
+
www.ucl.ac.uk
 Ernest Rutherford did some
experiments with thin metal foils and
found that the positive charge is
located within a central nucleus

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 Neils Bohr worked under Rutherford but
found problems with his theory. He
ultimately determined that Electrons are in
circular orbits with increasing energy
levels.

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_
nobelprize.org
 Vocabulary
Atom: the smallest particle of an element that has the
chemical properties of the element

Nucleus: found in the center of the atom and contains the

protons and neutrons

Proton: a positively charged particle found in the nucleus

of an atom

Neutrons: an uncharged particle found in the nucleus of an

atom

Electron: negatively charged particles that move around

outside the nucleus of the atom

Isotopes: atoms of the same element that have a different

number of neutrons. Chlorine atoms have 17 protons, but some
atoms of chlorine have 18 or 20 neutrons these atoms are the
isotopes of chlorine
Atoms form Ions
⚫ Ions: formed when an
atom loses or gains one
or more electrons(- or +
charge)

⚫ Cation: formed when an

atom loses an electron
(+ charge)

⚫ Anion: formed when an

atom gains an electron
(-charge)
⚫ Most elements are Metals
metals
⚫ Metals are
elements that
conduct electricity
and heat, have
shiny appearance,
and can be
shaped by
pounding
(malleability),
bending, or being
drawn into a thin
wire (ductility)
Metal types
⚫ Reactive metals: Group (up/down) 1 most reactive

⚫ Transition Metals: Group 3-12 (up/down) generally

less reactive than most metals
 Rare Earth Elements

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⚫ Top row of the two rows of metals that are outside of the main
periodic table

⚫ Also known as Lanthanides because they follow the element

lanthanum (La) on the table

⚫ Scientists once thought these metals were available only in tiny

amounts on the Earth
Actinide
• bottom row of the two
rows of metals that are
outside of the main
periodic table

• The Actinide series is

all radioactive and www.chem4kids.com
some are not found in
nature.
 Nonmetals
⚫ Nonmetals: the elements on the right side of the
periodic table
⚫ Many are gases at room temperature, dull
surfaces on the solid nonmetals, cannot be
shaped by ductility or malleability
Halogens
⚫ Elements in group 17
⚫ 7 valence electrons

⚫ Greek “forming salts

⚫ Very reactive non-metals

that easily form compounds www.chem4kids.com
with metals. These
compounds are known as
salts.
Noble Gases
⚫ Group 18 on the
periodic table
⚫ 8 valence electrons

⚫ Noble or inert
because they almost
never react with other www.chem4kids.com

elements
 Metalloids
⚫ Have properties of both metals and nonmetals
⚫ Located on either side of the zigzag line
separating metals and nonmetals
⚫ Most common is Silicon

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