MYP 3 Worksheet 2.

LEARNING WORKSHEET ON ATOMIC STRUCTURE

No-one really knows what atoms are
like. Scientists have built up pictures
to help them explain what they
observe and measure in experiments.
These pictures are called "models".
The model we use to explain all we
need to know about atoms from a
chemical point of view is the
Rutherford Model, shown opposite.

cloud of electrons
(negatively charged)
very small nucleus
(positively charged)

THE THREE SUB-ATOMIC PARTICLES

There are three important particles which together make up an atom.
Complete the table.

proton

WHERE
FOUND
in the nucleus

neutron

in the nucleus

electron

around the
nucleus

PARTICLE

RELATIVE
MASS

RELATIVE CHARGE

The electrons have such a small mass that we usually ignore them and
think of the neutrons and protons as providing the overall mass of an
atom. The more neutrons and protons in the nucleus, the heavier the
atom is.
Neutrons and protons are sometimes called NUCLEONS,
because they are found in the nucleus of the atom.
TWO IMPORTANT NUMBERS
Any individual atom can be identified by two numbers. These are the
ATOMIC NUMBER and the MASS (or NUCLEON) NUMBER. Both these
numbers are whole numbers.
ATOMIC NUMBER
This is given the symbol Z and it tells us the
number of PROTONS.
It is also the number of electrons in the neutral atom.
It identifies which chemical element the atom is.
MASS NUMBER This is given the symbol A and it tells us the TOTAL
number of PROTONS NEUTRONS in the nucleus.
This gives us the relative mass of the individual atom.

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MYP 3 Worksheet 2.6

When we want to describe a
MASS NUMBER
particular atom we usually write
(total no. of p + n)
these numbers with the element
symbol in the format shown here
for a magnesium atom. We can ATOMIC NUMBER
(no. of p = no. of e)
see that there are 12 protons.
element symbol
There must be 12 electrons too.
This atom has 12 neutrons (since
24-12 =12).
It has a relative mass of 24.
Each of the boxes below shows an atom of a different element. Write down
the name of each element and the number of protons, electrons and
neutrons the atoms contain.

24

12

14

N
7

name =
protons =
electrons =
neutrons =

28

Si
14

Ag
47

207

Pb
82

name =
protons =
electrons =
neutrons =

name =
protons =
electrons =
neutrons =

56

Fe

26
name =
protons =
electrons =
neutrons =

name =
protons =
electrons =
neutrons =

108

Mg

238

92
name =
protons =
electrons =
neutrons =

ISOTOPES
It is possible for atoms of the same chemical element to have different
numbers of neutrons. The number of protons and electrons is the same,
1

H
1
name = hydrogen
protons = 1
electrons = 1
neutrons = 0
12

C
6

name = carbon
protons = 6
electrons = 6
neutrons = 6

H
1
name = hydrogen
protons = 1
electrons = 1
neutrons = 1
13

C
6

name = carbon
protons = 6
electrons = 6
Page 2
neutrons = 7

1
name = hydrogen
protons = 1
electrons = 1
neutrons = 2
14

6
name = carbon
protons = 6
electrons = 6
neutrons = 8

MYP 3 Worksheet 2.6

so the atoms behave in exactly the same way chemically. Different
numbers of neutrons means there is a different relative mass, e.g.:-

Isotopes are atoms of the same element, with the same number of
protons, but with a different number of neutrons and a different mass.
Learn this definition of isotopes:Fill in the details of protons, electrons and neutrons for each of the pairs of
16
name =
protons =
electrons =
neutrons =

O
8
0

18

O
8

name =
protons =
electrons =
neutrons =

40

Ca
20
name =
protons =
electrons =
neutrons =
44

Ca
20
name =
protons =
electrons =
neutrons =

118

Sn

50
name =
protons =
electrons =
neutrons =
120

Sn

50
name =
protons =
electrons =
neutrons =

isotopes below:ISOTOPES AND RELATIVE ATOMIC MASS

We saw on page 1 that the protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an
atom make up virtually all the mass of the atom (the electrons only
contribute a tiny amount to the total). The relative atomic mass of an
element is obviously related to the total number of neutrons and protons
in the nucleus. Many of the chemical elements have two or more
naturally occurring stable isotopes. Any sample of the element will
contain atoms of different mass. The relative atomic mass is an average
which takes into account the masses of the different stable isotopes as
well as the proportion of each one present, so it is not usually a whole
number. Most Periodic Tables show the relative atomic masses of each
element rounded to the nearest whole number, but chlorine (mass 35.5)
and sometimes copper (mass 63.5) are often exceptions.
How to Calculate Relative Atomic Mass
Using chlorine as an example: 75% of Cl atoms have mass 35 and 25%
have mass 37 so the weighted average is:-

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MYP 3 Worksheet 2.6

(75 35) + (25 37) = 35.5 Relative atomic mass for Cl =
35.5
100
Do similar calculations for copper and silicon, giving your answers to 1
decimal place.
70% of Cu atoms have mass 63 and 30% have mass 65.
.
.
92% of Si atoms have mass 28, 5% have mass 29 and 3% have mass
30.
.
.
WHAT ABOUT THE ELECTRONS?
There is evidence to suggest that
the electrons are arranged around
the nucleus in "shells", a little bit
like the skins on an onion. Each
shell can hold only so many
electrons. When one shell is full,
the remaining electrons have to go
into the next shell. We represent
the shells by drawing circles of
increasing radius around the
nucleus.

1st shell
(holds 2 electrons)
2nd shell
(holds 8 electrons)
3rd shell
(holds 8 electrons)

The electrons can be represented by dots or crosses on these circles, e.g.

H has only 1 electron
in the 1st shell

He has 2 electrons.
1st shell is now full
Mg has 12 electrons

O has 8 electrons
2 in the 1st shell
6 in the 2nd shell

Ne has 10 electrons
2 in the 1st shell
8 in the 2nd shell
(2 shells now full)

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2 in the 1st shell

8 in the 2nd shell
2 in the 3rd shell

MYP 3 Worksheet 2.6

Draw similar diagrams below for the atoms indicated:B (Atomic Number
F (Atomic Number
Si (Atomic Number
5)
9)
14)

Electron configuration: This means the arrangement of electrons in

shells and can be written in shorthand as follows:He = 2
O = 2,6
Ne = 2,8 Mg = 2,8,2

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MYP 3 Worksheet 2.6

ELECTRON CONFIGURATIONS AND THE PERIODIC TABLE
For GCSE Chemistry you need to be able to give the FULL electron configurations for the elements up to and including Calcium
(Atomic Number 20). The Periodic Table below shows the first four Periods (rows). The Atomic Number is given for each
element. Remember that this tells you the number of electrons in the atom. Fill in the electron configurations for every
element up to Calcium (Ca). The first three have been done for you.

Perio
d
1
Perio
d
2

Grou
p
I
H
1

Grou
p
II

Grou
p
III

Grou
p
IV

Grou
p
V

Grou
p
VI

Grou
p
VII

1
Li
3

Grou
p
0
He
2

2
Be
4

B
5

C
6

N
7

O
8

F
9

Ne
10

Mg
12

Al
13

Si
14

P
15

S
16

Cl
17

Ar
18

Ga

Ge

As

Se

Br

Kr

2,1

Perio
d
3

Na
11

Perio
d
4

K
19

Ca
20

TRANSITION METALS
Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni
Cu Zn

REMEMBER THAT
Each PERIOD (row) corresponds to an electron shell. The Period Number tells you the number of shells occupied by electrons.
The GROUP number tells you the number of electrons in the OUTSIDE shell (except for the Noble Gases Group 0).
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MYP 3 Worksheet 2.6

IONS
Atoms sometimes lose or gain electrons when they react with other
atoms. This results in imbalance between the number of protons (positive
charges) and the number of electrons (negative charges). The atom is no
longer electrically neutral and so we call it an ION.
POSITIVE IONS
These have LOST electrons.
They have more protons than
electrons.

NEGATIVE IONS
These have GAINED electrons.
They have more electrons than
protons.

IMPORTANT: The number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus does

NOT change.
It is only the outer electrons that are involved in
chemical reactions.
Examples of each type of ion are shown below. Notice that the charge is
written on the top right hand side of the element symbol.
23

24

2+

16

Mg
12

Na
11

O
8

magnesium ion
protons = 12
electrons = 10
neutrons = 12

sodium ion
protons = 11
electrons = 10
neutrons = 12

2-

oxide ion
protons = 8
electrons = 10
neutrons = 8

19

F
9

fluoride ion
protons = 9
electrons = 10
neutrons = 10

Fill in the table for the following atoms and ions, giving symbols as in the
examples above.
ELEMENT

PROTON
S

ELECTRO
NS

NEUTRO
NS

Potassium

19

18

20

Calcium

20

18

20

Bromine

35

35

44

Tin

50

50

69

Chlorine

17

18

20

Aluminium

13

10

14

Copper

29

29

34

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ATOM OR
ION?

FULL
SYMBOL

MYP 3 Worksheet 2.6

Nitrogen
Iodine

10

53

54

74

Page 8