STRUCTURE

OF MATTER
STEMscopes 8.1
MATTER
◦ Matter: Anything that has mass and has volume
(takes up space).
We know that all substances are made
up of particles that are too small to be
seen. What are these particles called?
 Atoms

The smallest particle of an element, made of electrons,

protons, and neutrons.
 Electron

A negatively charged subatomic particle that orbits the

atomic nucleus within an area is referred to as the
electron cloud. Electrons are constantly moving.
 Proton

A positively charged subatomic particle of the nucleus of

an atom that contributes to the mass of the atom. Since
protons are the only charged particle in the nucleus, an
atom’s nucleus is always positively charged.
 Neutron

A subatomic particle of the nucleus of an atom that is

without charge (neutral) that contributes to the mass of an
atom.
Electrical charge of an atom
General rules regarding the electrical charge of an atom:

• If the number of protons equals the number of electrons, the atom does
not have an electrical charge and is neutral. In other words, the
positives and negatives balance out.

• If there are more protons than electrons, the atom is positively charged.

• If there are more electrons than protons, the atom is negatively

charged.

• *The number of neutrons in an atom does not affect the overall charge
of the atom because neutrons have no charge.
Electrical charge of an atom
◦ Different atoms have different combinations of
subatomic particles.

◦ Suppose an atom has 6 protons and 7 neutrons and is neutrally

charged overall.

◦ We know that the 7 neutrons do not affect the overall charge of

the atom. We also know that since the atom is neutral, it must
have the same number of protons and electrons. Therefore, we
can conclude that this atom has 6 electrons.
What are different kinds of atoms called?
Elements

• Element: A substance made of one kind of

atom.
Atomic Number
◦ Atomic Number: The number of protons in the nucleus of an
atom, which determines the chemical properties of an element
and its place in the periodic table.
Atomic Number = Protons in element
Atomic Mass
◦ Protons and neutrons have similar masses—each proton and neutron has a
mass of approximately 1.67 x 10–27 kg. The mass of one electron is even
smaller: 9.11 x 10–31 kg. Remember that the protons and neutrons are
located in the atom’s nucleus, which is where most of the atom’s mass is
located.

◦ Atomic mass is the average mass of all of the protons and neutrons in the
atom. It is measured in Atomic Mass Units (amu).

◦ Electrons are so small that they not do change the mass of the atom. They
do, however, take up a large amount of the volume of the atom.

Protons + Neutrons = Atomic mass

Compounds
◦ Atoms combine in different ratios with each other to form different substances. We
know that atoms form all different kinds of elements. When those elements come
together, they make substances called compounds.
◦ A compound is two or more different atoms bonded together.
◦ The ratio is important. *Just because a compound has the same elements, does not
mean it’s the same substance.
Molecules
◦ Any time two or
more atoms are
bonded
together, they
form a molecule.
Molecules can
be as small as
two atoms or as
large as
hundreds.
States of Matter (3)
◦ Solid, liquid, and gas
◦ Due to the arrangement of the substances, solids can be formed in a
couple different ways: disordered or ordered.
◦ Ordered: the molecules or atoms are arranged in neat, ordered rows—
this is called a lattice, and is what you see in crystals.
◦ Disordered: molecules or atoms are in no specific, arranged order.
 Crystal

Solid material whose atoms, molecules, or ions are

arranged in an ordered pattern.
 Solid

A state of matter with definite volume and shape.

 Substance

Any form of matter that is uniform throughout and has

consistent properties.
Periodic Table
• Created by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869—remains mostly
unchanged today.

• Periodic Table: A systematic arrangement of the chemical

elements.

• Organized so Atomic Numbers increase along the rows.

• Elements in same columns (groups) tend to have similar

qualities.
What is the Periodic Table?
The periodic table of elements organizes and categorizes the
elements on Earth, as well as the man-made elements, by the
atomic number.

• Then the metals are separated from the nonmetals, and from
the metalloids (semi-metals).

• The elements are further separated into group elements, or

families such as alkali metals, halogens, and noble gases.

• The groups are the columns (vertical, up-down) and the periods
are the rows (horizontal, side-to side).
 Periodic Table

A table in which all the known elements are arranged by

properties and are represented by one or two letters,
referred to as chemical symbols.
“Meet the Elements” Song
◦ http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/videos/chemistry/elementsong.html
Periodic Table Song – NEW/UPDATED
◦ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgVQKCcfwnU
Periodic Table Song – slower with
lyrics
◦ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxvWsk4r8w0
Activity Time: The Periodic Table
Find the
element
carbon.
What do you
think the
letter “C”
stands for?
A fun way to become familiar with the names and
chemical symbols for each element is to find
symbols that can be put together to spell words.
Let’s see if
we can
spell the
word
BOOK,
using
element
symbols
from the
Periodic
Table.
Now, spell
your own
name
using
element
symbols
from the
Periodic
Table.
CLASSWORK/
HOMEWORK
CHALLENGE:
Spell as many
words as you
can, using
element
symbols. Each
word spelled
must be
followed by a
list of each
element name
used in the
word.