Atomic Structure

Isotopes
 Atomic Structure
particle symbol location charge mass
proton p+ nucleus 1+ 1 amu

neutron no nucleus 0 1 amu

No charge

electron e- Electron 1- 1/1840 amu

cloud
 Matter

Atoms

nucleus electron cloud

Neutrons protons = electrons (in a neutral

atom)

• The number of protons in an atom equals it’s atomic number

• Every atom has a unique atomic number
• Since electrons are easily gained or lost they determine the
overall charge of an atom
 Isotopes
• Atoms with the same number of protons but
different numbers of neutrons
• Another way to say – atoms of the same
element with different numbers of neutrons
• An elements mass number is the number of
protons plus the number of neutrons
• REVIEW: to determine the number of
neutrons subtract the atomic number from the
mass number
• Mass # – atomic # = # of neutrons
 Same Element Different Atom-
Isotopes

All atoms of a particular element are not exactly alike.

Some elements have atoms with different masses (isotopes)
 Isotope Example

Cl
35
Cl
37
17 17

chlorine - 35 chlorine - 37
Isotopes of Lithium
Isotopic symbols
 Isotopic symbols

NOTE: Unlike on the periodic

table where the atomic number
is at the top of the box and the
average atomic mass is at the
bottom in isotopic symbols the
mass number is at the top and
the atomic number is at the
bottom.

If X is Hydrogen and its mass number is 2 then the isotopic symbol

would be

1H
2
 Isotopic symbols

If X is Fluorine and its mass

number is 20 then the correct
isotopic symbol is
Fluorine – 20.
If the atom has a charge the charge is written
to the upper right side of the symbol. If the
charge is either negative or positive 1 the 1 is
not written but understood to be 1.
Determine the number of neutron in each isotope

1. 238 – 92 = 146 neutrons

2. 84 – 36 = 48 neutrons

3. 35 – 17 = 18 neutrons

4. 14 – 6 = 8 neutrons
 Isotopes of Carbon
Naturally occurring carbon consists of three isotopes, 12C, 13C, and 14C. State the
number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in each of these carbon atoms .
12
C 13
C 14
C
6 6 6

#P _______ _______ _______

#N _______ _______ _______
#E _______ _______ _______
 Solution

12
C 13
C C
14
6 6 6

#P __6___ _ 6___ ___6___

#N __6___ _ _7___ ___8___

#E __6___ _ 6___ ___6___

 Zinc problem
An atom of zinc has a mass number of 65.

A. Number of protons in the zinc atom

1) 30 2) 35 3) 65

B. Number of neutrons in the zinc atom

1) 30 2) 35 3) 65

C. What is the mass number of a zinc isotope

with 37 neutrons?
1) 37 2) 65 3) 67
 Isotope or nuclide notation
• C-14 and C -12

When you see the symbol of the element and a

dash, the number after it is the mass number.

This is another way of modeling isotopes.