Unit 7 Atoms

GRADE 7 SLIDES
Atoms

 Democritus coined the term Atom.

 According to Democritus, Atoms are the smallest pieces of a substance that cannot be cut
up or divided anymore.
 Atom means ‘Cannot be divided’.
 Everything that we see around us is made of atoms.
 Atom consists of Proton and Neutron at the center and electron moving around the center.
More about atoms

 Until today scientist discovered 94 different kinds of atoms that are found naturally.
 Scientists created another 24 different kinds of atoms in laboratories.
 Element: A substance that is made of just one kind of atom is called an element. Such as gold , silver ,
carbon etc. are examples of element.
 Different types of atom have different types of properties. Thus different elements have different properties.
 Molecules

 Atoms can join together and form groups called molecules.

 So molecules are formed when 2 or more atoms combine together .
 Some elements are made up of individual atoms like gold, silver, carbon etc.
 Some elements are made up of molecules like Oxygen, sulfur etc.
 A molecule of Oxygen is composed of 2 oxygen atoms.
 A molecule of Sulfur is composed of 8 Sulfur atoms.
 Atoms and Elements

 To denote atoms, scientists have given each element a symbol. Like Oxygen has Symbol O, Carbon has symbol C,
gold has symbol Au, Sodium has symbol Na etc.
 Sometimes symbol is first letter of English name of element. Like ‘O’ for oxygen.
 Sometimes symbol is first letter of English name plus another letter from its name of element. Like ‘He’ for helium.
 Sometimes symbol is letter of another language. Like ‘Na’ symbol of element sodium comes from the Latin name
‘Natrium’.
 First letter of symbols is always Capital and rest small.
 Some Elements are very common like oxygen(O), silicon(Si) and some elements are very rare like Scandium (Sc),
Cerium(Ce).
 Is water an element?

 Until 1800 people believed Water was an element.

 After electricity was passed through water, it split up into 2 gases hydrogen and oxygen.
 We know elements are composed of only one type of atom.
 Since water is composed of 2 different elements Oxygen and Hydrogen, so its not an element rather its a compound.
 Compounds are composed of 2 or more different types of elements.
 Periodic Table

 Scientist arranged elements in a table called Periodic Table.

 There are total 118 elements arranged in a periodic table.
 The periodic table is arranged in rows and columns.
 The rows are called Periods.
 The columns are called Group.
 In a row from left to right, mass of atoms increase gradually. So atoms at the left have lowest mass and atoms at right
have highest mass.
 Elements in periodic table are usually 2 types: metals and non-metals.
 Metals are towards the left hand side of the periodic table.
 Non-metals are towards the right hand side of the periodic table.
 Compounds

 Compounds are composed of 2 or more different types of elements.

 Compounds are formed when 2 or more atoms of different types of elements join together (Bonding).
 For example : Water (H2O), Salt (NaCl) are examples of compounds.
 Sodium (Na) and Chlorine (Cl) atoms bond together to form Sodium Chloride/Salt (NaCl).
 When compounds are formed they have completely new properties unlike their elements. Such as Sodium Chloride/Salt
(NaCl) is edible but Sodium (Na) and Chlorine (Cl) are not edible.
Naming of Compounds

 Every compound has a name.

 Compounds are named in following manner :
 A) If the compound is metal, then the name of the metal comes first in the name of the compound.
 B) If the compound contains a non-metal, the name of the non-metal is usually changed. For example: instead of
Sodium Chlorine we write sodium chloride.
 C) When 2 elements form a compound the name often ends in ‘ide’.
 D) Some compounds formed of 2 different element plus an oxygen. These compounds often have name ending
with ‘ate’. For example- a compound of calcium, carbon and oxygen is Calcium carbonate (CaCO3)
 Formula

 Different Compounds have different formulas.

 Formula contains the symbols of the elements that are bonded together in the compound.
 The Table shows few chemical names and formulas :
Chemical name Formula What the compound contains
Sodium chloride NaCl One sodium atom bonded to one chlorine atom

Carbon dioxide CO2 One Carbon atom bonded to two oxygen atoms

Carbon monoxide CO One Carbon atom bonded to one oxygen atom.

Hydrogen sulfide H2S Two hydrogen atoms bonded to one sulfur atom

Calcium carbonate CaCO3 One calcium atom, one carbon atom and three
oxygen atoms bonded together.
 Hydroxides

 Hydroxides are one type of compound.

 Hydrogen and oxygen are found in every hydroxide compounds.
 Hydroxides are Alkalis.
 They can neutralize acids.
 Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide(KOH) are examples of Hydoxdes.
Some Figures