Structure of the Atom || Chapter 1 || Chemistry

Q1) Which scientist came up with the idea of anu and paramanu?
Ans) The idea that matter is made up of very small particles was given by the
ancient Indian philosopher Maharishi Kanada. He named the smallest particle of
matter anu. He also believed that an anu may be made up of sub particles which he
called paramanu.
Q2) What was Dalton’s Atomic Theory?
Ans) In 1803, John Dalton, an English scientist, presented his famous atomic theory,
which was a turning point in the study of matter. The principal ideas of Dalton’s
atomic theory are as follows:
i) All elements are made up of very tiny, indivisible particles called atoms.
ii) Atoms can neither be created nor destroyed during chemical reaction.
iii) All atoms of an element are identical, but the atoms of an element differ from the
atoms of other elements.
iv) Atoms of different elements combine in fixed, small whole number ratios to form
compounds. E.g. 1 atom sodium combines with 1 atom of chlorine to form NaCl ; 2
atoms of hydrogen combine with 1 atom of oxygen to form H2O.
v) In Chemical Reactions, the atoms themselves do not change. Chemical reactions
only rearrange the way the atoms are combined to form new compounds.
Q3) How did William Crookes to discovered Cathode ray?
Ans) In 1879, William Crookes, a British chemist, carried out studies in a glass tube
from which air had been removed. In the tube, two metal plates called electrodes
were inserted one at each end of the tube. The electrode connected to the negative
terminal of the voltage source is called cathode and the other one connected to the
positive terminal is called the anode.
When high voltage was applied, the glass tube began to glow. Crookes also observed
that the beam in the tube was deflected when a magnet was placed near the
discharge tube. He believed that this glowing beam called cathode ray consisted of
charged particles.
Q4) How Electron discovered and what are its properties?
Ans) In 1897 J J Thompson performed experiments to study the properties of
cathode rays by applying an electric field. He observed that the cathode rays were
attracted by the positive plate and repelled by the negative plate. This showed that
the rays must consist of negatively charged particles. Thomson named these
negatively charged particles as electrons. Thomson also showed that the properties of
the cathode ray generated from the cathodes made from different metals were the
same. Thus electrons were regarded as the constituents of all matter. Thomson was
unable to measure neither the mass nor the charge of electrons. However he was bale
 Structure of the Atom || Chapter 1 || Chemistry

to measure the ration of the charge (e) to the mass(m) of electrons.The e/m value of
electron is 1.78*108 C/g
Properties of Electron
i) The electron is a negatively charged particle.
ii) It carries a negative charge (-1), which is considered the basic unit of electric
charge.
iii) The mass of an electron is 9.11* 10-31 Kg which is only 1/1840 of mass of an
hydrogen atom. Therefore, an electron is considered nearly mass less.
Q5) How was Proton discovered and what are its properties?
Ans) In 1886 Eugen Goldstein worked with modified discharge tube provided with
perforated cathode ( containing extremely small holes).When a large electric field was
applied between the electrodes he observed that not only the electrons emitted by
the cathode, but also some luminous rays in the region behind the cathode. These
rays ere called canal rays or positive rays as they contained positively charged
particles. These positively charged particles were later called Protons.
Properties of Proton are:
i) The proton is appositively charged particle.
ii) The Proton has appositive charge (+1) equal to the magnitude of a unit of electron
charge.
iii) The mass of proton is equal to that of Hydrogen that is 1.672* 10 -27 Kg.
Q6) What was Thomson’s model of atom?
Ans) J J Thomson was the first to propose a model for the inner structure of an atom
to explain the arrangement of Protons and electrons in an atom. Thomson proposed
the plum pudding model of the atom in 1904. According to this model , the atom is a
sphere of positive charges and the electrons are spread out inside like plums in
spherical pudding.
Q7) Explain Rutherford’s alpha scattering experiment?
Ans) In 1911, Ernest Rutherford, a New Zealand born British physist conducted an
experiment in order to find the arrangement of electrons and protons in an atom.
In this experiment, fast moving alpha (α) particles (discovered by Rutherford in 1899)
were made to strike on a thin gold foil (about 0.00004 cm thick) .
Observations:
i) Most of the alpha particles passed through the foil without any deflection from
their path.
ii) Some of the alpha particles were sharply deflected at different angles after passing
through the foil. A few of the alpha particles turned back directly on their original
path.
Conclusions:
 Structure of the Atom || Chapter 1 || Chemistry

(1) Most of the Alpha particles passed straight through the foil, which implied that
the atom consist of a lot of empty space inside it.
(2) Some of the alpha particles were deflected from their path at different angles,
which suggested that the atom has a tiny but heavy positively charged core
which repels positively charged alpha particles. The atom has its mass
concentrated in its tiny central core, which Rutherford called the nucleus.
Q8) Describe Rutherford’s nuclear model of the atom?
Ans) Rutherford’s experiment described the structure of the atom as follows:
i) There is appositively charged core in the center of an atom called the nucleus.
Nearly, all the mass of the atom is concentrated in it.
ii) The electrons revolve around the nucleus in well defined circular paths called
orbits, like planets revolving around the sun. Hence this model is also called the
planetary model of the atom.
iii) Since the atom is neutral, the number of electrons (which are negatively charged
particles) is equal to the number of protons (which are positively charged particles
) in the nucleus.
Q9) Describe Bohr’s Atomic model?
Ans) Danish physicist Niels Bohr further developed Rutherford’s model. In 1913, he
proposed his model of the atom. According to Bohr’s model, electrons revolving
around the nucleus occupy particular orbits , which are also called shells. He labeled
the shells as K, L,M,N ,……starting from the innermost shell.
Each orbit or shell is associated with a fixed or definite amount of energy. Hence these
shells are called energy levels. The energy associated with energy levels increases as
we go further away from the nucleus. ( Amount of energy of K < L < M < N…..)
Q10) Write briefly about Discovery of Neutron and its properties.
Ans) In 1932 , James Chadwick an English physicist discovered the subatomic
particle called neutron for which he received the Noble prize for physics in 1935.He
found that it has no electrical charge and has mass approximately equal to that of
proton.
Properties of neutron:
i) The neutron carries no charge, that is , it is electrically neutral.
ii) The mass of the neutron is slightly greater than the mass of the proton. The mass
of the neutron is 1.675*10-27Kg.
Q11) Compare an electron, a proton and a neutron in respect of their nature , mass and
charge.
 Structure of the Atom || Chapter 1 || Chemistry

Particle Symbol Charge Mass Location

Proton P + 1 Unit 1.672 x 10-27 g Inside the
(+1.60 x 10-19 Coulomb) nucleus
Electron e- -1 Unit 9.11 x 10-27g Outside the
(-1.60 x 10-19 Coulomb) Nucleus
( Extra Nuclear
Part)
Neutron n Neutral 1.675 x 10-27 g Inside the
No Charge nucleus

Q12) Describe the modern atomic model?

Ans) There are two regions of an atom: The nucleus and the extra nuclear region.
The Nucleus: The nucleus of an atom consists of protons and neutrons. The protons
and neutrons are collectively known as nucleons. Almost the entire mass of an atom is
concentrated in the nucleus since electrons have negligible mass.
The extra nuclear region: The extra nuclear region of an atom contains the electrons
that revolve around the nucleus of the atom in definite orbits. In an atom, the number
of protons inside the nucleus is equal to the number of electrons revolving around it.
Hence an atom is electrically neutral.
Q13) What is Atomic Number?
Ans) The number of protons present in the nucleus of an element is known as its
atomic number. The atomic number of an element is denoted by the symbol z.
Q14) Justify the statement “Z=p=e” ?
Ans) Atomic Number (Z) = No of Protons (p)
i.e. Z= p
Since an atom is electrically neutral , the number of protons present in the nucleus
must be equal to the number of electron (e) revolving around the nucleus.
Thus
No of protons = No of Electrons
i.e p=e
Thus from both the above equations we have:
Atomic Number (Z) = No of Protons (p) = No of electrons (e)
i.e. Z = p = e
Q15) What is Mass Number?
Ans) The sum of the protons and neutrons present in the nucleus of an atom is
called its mass number. The mass number of an element is denoted by the symbol A.
Thus, Mass number (A)= No of protons (p) + No of neutrons (n)
 Structure of the Atom || Chapter 1 || Chemistry

= Atomic number (Z) + No of neutrons (n)

Q16) What is the relationship between mass number (A) and atomic number (Z)?
Ans) Atomic Number (Z) = No of Protons (p) = No of electrons (e)
Mass number (A) = No of protons (p) + No of neutrons (n)
= Atomic number (Z) + No of neutrons (n)
Number of neutrons, n = (A-Z)
Q17) What are Quarks?
Ans) Quarks are tiny sub particles that make up protons and neutrons. There are six
types of quarks (known as Flavors): up, down, strange, charm, bottom, top. Each of
them has different properties including charge, mass and spin.
Q18) Explain symbolic representation of an element?
Ans) The atom of an element generally represented by the symbol of that element
(say X). The atomic number (Z) is written on the left side of the symbol as a subscript
whereas the mass number (A) is written on the left side of symbol as superscript.
Mass number A
Atomic Number Z
X Symbol of the Element

Q19) What are Isotopes?

Ans) Atoms of the same element having different mass numbers are isotopes. The
isotopes of an element contain the same number of protons (as well as electrons) and
therefore have the same atomic number .However they have different mass number
because they contain different no of neutrons.
Q20) What is Atomic mass?
Ans) The quantity of matter contained in an atom is called its atomic mass. Atoms
are so tiny that the mass grams of a single atom is too small a number. Therefore ,
chemists use a unit called atomic mass unit (amu) or u. 1 amu is one twelfth of the
mass of an atom of the isotope carbon 12 which is taken as the standard atom..
Q21) What is Relative atomic mass?
Ans) The relative atomic mass of an element is the ratio of the average mass of one
atom of the element to one twelfth of the mass of one atom of carbon -12.
Q22) What is Electronic configuration?
Ans) The arrangement of electron in different shells of the atoms of an element is
called electronic configuration. The electrons are distributed in various shells
according to certain rules, proposed by Niels Bohr and Charles Bury, known as Bohr-
Bury scheme of electronic configuration.
Q23) State the rules for Bohr-Bury Electronic Configuration.
Ans) The following rules are observed according to the Bohr-Bury scheme for writing
the number of electrons in different energy levels or shells:
 Structure of the Atom || Chapter 1 || Chemistry

i) The maximum number of electrons present in a shell is given by the formula 2n 2 ,

where n is the shell number or energy level number.
ii) The outermost shell called the valence shell of an atom cannot accommodate
more than 8 electrons, even if it has the capacity to accommodate more electrons.
This means that the outermost shell of an atom can accommodate a maximum of 8
electrons except in the case of the first shell (K shell), which cannot have more
than 2 electrons.
Q24) What is a valence shell?
Ans) The outermost shell or energy level of an atom is known as its valence shell.
Q25) What are valence electrons?
Ans) The electrons present in the outermost shell of an atom are called valence
electrons.
Q26) What is Valency of an element?
Ans) The valency of an element is defined as the number of electron donated,
accepted or shared by the atom of that element so as to complete an octet of
electron. The valency of an element is the combining capacity of its atoms with the
atoms of other elements.
Q27) What is variable valency?
Ans) Certain elements show more than one valency, that is, variable valency. They
show variable valency in different compounds.
Q28) What are chemical bonds?
Ans) Attractive forces that hold atoms or ions together to form molecules or
compounds are called chemical bonds.
Q29) What are ionic compounds?
Ans) Metals react with non metals to form stable compounds called ionic
compounds or electrovalent compounds. During the formation of ionic compound ,
the transfer of electrons from one atom to another atom takes place, so that both the
atoms can achieve the electronic configuration of nearest noble gases. E.g. Sodium
Chloride
Q30) What are cation and anion?
Ans) The atom that loses electrons becomes a positively charges ion called cation or
electropositive ion, while the ion that gains electrons becomes a negatively charges
ion called anion or electronegative ion.
Q31) Compare and contrast nuclear fission and nuclear fusion.
Ans)
Nuclear fission Nuclear fusion
 Structure of the Atom || Chapter 1 || Chemistry

The process of splitting of the The process in which two light nuclei
nucleus of heavy atoms is combine at an extremely high
called nuclear fission. temperature and pressure to form a
stable nucleus, with the release of an
It is applied for making atom
enormous amount of energy, is
bombs and in nuclear
called nuclear fusion. It is used in the
reactors for the production of
production of hydrogen bomb which
electricity.
produces 1000 times the energy
produced by an atom bomb.

Q32) What are the harmful effects of radioactivity and safety requirements against
radioactive radiations?
Ans) The harmful effects of radioactivity are:
i) Harmful gene mutation in living organisms.
ii) Skin and other types of cancer.
iii) Large-scale destruction when uncontrolled.
iv) Birth of deformed babies.
The following safety requirements should be taken against radioactive radiations.
(1) There should be a special concrete wall or a thick shield of lead around nuclear
reactors so as to prevent leakage of radioactive radiations.
(2) Workers in nuclear power plants should wear lead lined aprons and gloves and
special lead glasses to protect their bodies and eyes from radiation.
(3) The nuclear materials should be kept in either aluminium or stainless steel cans
and away from each other to avoid any explosion.

Q33) List the properties of -rays, -rays and -rays.

Ans)
Alpha rays Beta rays Gama rays
Nature Positively charged Negatively charged Neutral particles
particles. particles. similar to X-rays.
They are the nuclei They are electrons. They have no mass
of helium atoms. or charge.
Penetrating Small penetrating More penetrating Penetrating power
power. power than -rays. 1010 times more
than -rays.
Action on a Affect photographic Affect photographic Have little effect
Photographic plate. plate. on photographic
Plate plate.
 Structure of the Atom || Chapter 1 || Chemistry

Q34) Define: (i) Radioactivity (ii) Nuclear fusion (iii)Nuclear fission

Ans) The definitions :
i) Radioactivity: The phenomenon due to which certain elements emit highly
penetrating radiation due to spontaneous disintegration of their nuclei is known as
radioactivity.
ii) Nuclear fusion: A nuclear reaction in which two lighter nuclei are fused together to
form a heavier nucleus is called nuclear fusion.
iii) Nuclear fission: A nuclear reaction in which a heavy atomic nucleus breaks up into
two smaller nuclei, with the release of a very large amount of energy is called
nuclear fission.
Q35) Give reasons for the following.
i) As per the modern atomic theory, atoms are divisible.
Ans. Atoms consist of the sub-atomic particles, like neutrons, protons and electrons. These have
been isolated and studied.
ii) J.J. Thomson’s experiment further led to the discovery of protons.
Ans. J.J. Thomson found out that the cathode rays consist of negatively charged particles in an
atom – the electrons. Since an atom is electrically neutral, scientists were of the opinion that
there must be some oppositely charged particles present in the atom. This led to the discovery of
protons.
iii) The maximum number of electrons in the L-shell is 8.
Ans. The maximum number of electrons that can be present in any shell of an atom is given by the
formula 2n2, where n denotes the number of the shell. Therefore, the second shell or L shell can
accomodate a maximum of 2 × 22 = 8 electrons.
iv) Electronic configuration of calcium whose atomic number is 20 is 2,8,8,2 and not 2,8,10.
Ans. The Octet rule states that the maximum number of electrons that the outermost shell of an
electrically neutral and chemically stable atom can have is 8, except the atom which has only one
shell and can have only 2 electrons (duplet). Therefore, Ca (at. no. 20) will have the electronic
configuration 2,8,8,2.
v) Argon — atomic number = 18, is considered a noble gas.
Ans. All inert gases, except helium, have eight electrons in their valence shells. Therefore, argon
(at. no. 18; electronic configuration 2,8,8) has 8 electrons in its valence shell, which is thus
complete. Hence it is considered a noble gas.
vi) Metals lose electrons and form positive ions while non-metals gain electrons and form
negative ions.
Ans. Metals have 1, 2 or 3 electrons in their valence shells. Thus, they can lose these electrons to
form positive ions.Non-metals have 5, 6 or 7 electrons in their valence shell. They gain 3, 2 or 1
electron respectively to become negative ions.
vii) Isotopes of elements have same number of protons and electrons but different
number of neutrons.
 Structure of the Atom || Chapter 1 || Chemistry

Ans. Isotopes are atoms of the same element having same atomic number but different mass
number. Thus, isotopes have the same number of protons and electrons but different number of
neutrons.
viii) Gamma radiations are used in medical applications to destroy cancerous tumors.
Ans. Gamma radiations are highly penetrating radiations and in general affect abnormal cells
more than healthy cells. Hence, they are used in controlled measures by doctors to destroy
abnormal cells in cancerous tumors.
ix) Uranium whose atomic number is 92 and mass number 235 is considered radioactive, but
sodium whose atomic number is 11 and mass number 23 is not considered radioactive.
Ans. Uranium contains a heavy atomic nucleus. The nucleus of uranium is unstable since the
electrostatic repulsion between the positively charged protons and the attractive force between
the neutrons and protons are not balanced. Thus, uranium is radioactive while sodium whose
nucleus is stable, is not radioactive.
x) Nuclear reactors are used as power plants.
Ans. Nuclear energy obtained during nuclear fission is converted intomechanical and electrical
energy by a turbine and a generator respectively. Since nuclear fission takes place in nuclear
reactors, they are used as power plants.
xi) Addition of a neutron to the nucleus of an atom would increase its mass number.
Ans. Mass number of an atom is equal to the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in the
atom of an element. Therefore, addition of a neutron to the nucleus of an atom increases its mass
number.
xii) The atomic number of an element accounts for the number of positive charges in the
nucleus.
Ans. The atomic number of an element is equal to the number of protons present in the atom of
an element. Since protons are the only positively charged particles present in the nucleus of an
atom, therefore atomic number accounts for the number of positive charges in the nucleus.
xiii) Covalent compounds have low melting and boiling points.
Ans. Covalent compounds are formed by the sharing of electrons between the atoms of elements.
These compounds are usually neutral and their intermolecular forces are weak. It is easy to break
these forces and therefore, these compounds have low melting and boiling points.
xiv) A nuclear reactor is surrounded with thick steel and concrete.
Ans. To prevent the leakage of radioactive radiations, thick steel and concrete walls are built
around nuclear reactors as these radiations are very harmful.
xv) There is no charge on the atom of an element, although every atom contains negatively
charged particles.
Ans. An atom of an element has equal number of negatively and positively charged particles.
Thus, it is electrically neutral and there is no charge on the atom.
xvi) Nuclear fusion cannot be used to generate electricity.
Ans. Nuclear fusion takes place at extremely high temperature and pressure. There is no way
to produce such a high temperature or obtain materials that can withstand such high
temperatures. So, nuclear fusion cannot be used to generate electricity.
 Structure of the Atom || Chapter 1 || Chemistry

Q36) Fill in the blanks with appropriate words:

i) Dalton said that Atoms could not be divided.
ii) High energy radiations are emitted by radioactive elements.
iii) An ion which has a positive charge is called a cation
iv) The outermost shell of an atom is known as Valence shell
v) Neutrons are neutral particles having mass equal to that of protons.
vi) Atomic number is the number of protons present in the nucleus.
vii) Ionic compounds are conductors of electricity.
viii) MgCl2 is an example of ionic compound.
ix) The number of electrons donated or accepted by an atom so as to have
stable electronic configuration of the nearest noble gas is called
Valency .
x) A pair of electrons is shared in a/an Covalent Bond
xi) According to Maharishi Kanad, the tiniest of the tiny particle of a pure substance, is called
Anu
xii) An atom is the smallest unit of an element which takes part in a Chemical Reaction
xiii) J J Thomson proposed the apple pie pudding model of an atom.
xiv) Mass of an electron is 1/1837 times less than the mass of one atom of Hydrogen
xv) Neutrons are electrically neutral particles having mass equal to one atom of hydrogen.
xvi) During nuclear fusion the hydrogen nuclei fuse to form helium nuclei.
xvii) The attractive forces between the nucleons in the nucleus of an atom are called
.nuclear forces. forces.
xviii) The K-shell of any atom cannot have more than two electrons
Q37) Name the Following:
i) The sub-atomic particle with negative charge and negligible mass. Electron
ii) Protons and neutrons present in the nucleus. Nucleons
iii) The electrons present in the outermost shell. Valence Electron
iv) A phenomenon due to which heavy nucleus splits into lighter nuclei. Fission
v) Arrangement of electrons in the shells of an atom. Electronic Configuration
vi) The binding force between atoms in a molecule of a compound. Chemical Bond
vii) The number of protons present in the nucleus of an atom. Atomic Number
viii) The sum of the number of protons and neutrons of an atom. Atomic Mass
ix) Atoms of the same element with same atomic number but different mass number.
Isotopes
x) The smallest unit of an element which takes part in a chemical reaction. Atom
xi) The philosopher of India who proposed anu. Maharishi Kanad
xii) The scientist who discovered the electron. JJ Thomson
xiii) The scientist who discovered the proton. E. Goldstein
xiv) The scientist who discovered the neutron. James Chadwick
 Structure of the Atom || Chapter 1 || Chemistry

xv) The scientist whose contribution lead to the discovery of the atomic nucleus. Rutherford
xvi) The sub-atomic particle having no charge. Neutron
xvii) The shell of an atom which can accommodate a maximum of two electrons. K Shell
xviii) The type of element [i.e. metal, non-metal or noble gas] to which an element ‘X’
having electronic configuration 2,8,8 belongs. Noble Gas
xix) A radioactive element other than uranium and radium. Thorium
xx) A slow moving particle used for splitting nucleus of an atom of uranium. Neutron
xxi) A charged particle formed by the donation of electrons from the valence shell. Cation
xxii) A phenomenon due to which hydrogen atoms fuse in the sun. Nuclear Fusion
xxiii) A charged particle having +2 electric charge and 4 amu mass. Alpha Particle
xxiv) A highly penetrating radiation given by radioactive elements. Gamma Radiation
xxv) The outermost shell of an element. Valence Shell
xxvi) The phenomenon due to which an atom spontaneously gives radiations. Radioactivity
xxvii)