Portion Quiz-1

Lesson 30.1
Atomic number, mass number , Isotopes , Rutherford experiment and
atomic mass unit
 Atomic Number (Z): is the number of protons
in the nucleus of the atom.
Z= No. of protons
Symbol A XZ
_____________________________________
Mass Number (A):
The sum of the protons and neutrons in the
nucleus.
A= No. of protons + no. of neutrons
Neutron number
N=A-Z
 Isotopes

• Recall that an element can have more than one isotope. That is, atoms of an element can have different masses.
• All nuclei of an element have the same number of protons but can have different numbers of neutrons.
• All isotopes of a neutral element have the same number of electrons as protons and behave chemically in the
same way.
• A special method of notation is used to describe an isotope.

Mass number

Element symbol

Atomic number

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education The Nucleus

 Isotopes
• Most elements have several isotopic forms that occur naturally.
• The atomic mass listed in the periodic table is weighted average mass of the naturally
occurring isotopes of the element.
• While the mass of an individual atom is close to a whole number of mass units, the atomic mass
determined from an average sample of atoms does not have to be.
• The mass of the isotope carbon-12 is now used to define the mass unit. One u is defined to be
1/12 the mass of the carbon-12 isotope.

The Nucleus
Rutherford ‘Scattering’

• In 1909 Rutherford undertook a series of experiments

• He fired a (alpha) particles at a very thin sample of gold foil
• According to the Thomson model the a particles would only
be slightly deflected
• Rutherford discovered that they were deflected through large angles
and could even be reflected straight back to the source
Lead collimator
Gold foil
a particle
source
q
Rutherford’s Apparatus
Rutherford received the 1908 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his
pioneering work in nuclear chemistry.
beam of alpha particles

radioactive
substance

circular ZnS - coated

fluorescent screen
gold foil
What he got…
richocheting
alpha particles
Describe the Rutherford's assumptions for
the size of nucleus.
• He found that nuclei have diameter of about
10 -14 m .
• A typical atom might have a radius 10,000 times larger
than the diameter of its nucleus .
• Less Space occupies by the nucleus in an atom than
the sun does in our solar system .
• Nucleus is dense 1.4 x 10 18 kg/m3
• if a nucleus could be 1 cm3, it would have a mass of
about 1 billions tones .
 What are the nucleons?

Protons and neutrons are collectively called nucleons.

Atomic number:
• Number of protons is the atomic number.
It can be denoted with letter Z
Mass Number:
• Number of nucleons is the mass number.
it can be denoted by letter A.
Proton and neutron almost have same mass:
1.6726219 × 10-27 kg
Proton and electron almost have same charge
1.6 x 10-19 C
Nuclide: The nucleus of an isotope is called a nuclide
Q
Q.
Q What is atomic mass?
• The atomic mass of an element is the average mass of the atoms of
an element measured in atomic mass unit (amu)