3.

091: Recitation 1 (09/03)

Main concepts:
Characterization of matter
Atoms
Elements
Physical properties

Concept questions:
1. What is an atom?

2. Aristotle proposed 4 elements; what were they? Why are these not reflected in the periodic table?

3. What is useful about arranging elements on the periodic table?

4. True or False: In chemical reactions, atoms from one or more compounds or elements redistribute or rearrange in relation to
other atoms to form one or more new compounds. Atoms themselves do not undergo a change of identity in chemical
reactions
Practice problems:
1. Find copper (Cu) on the periodic table.
a. What is its atomic number? What does atomic number mean?

b. What is its atomic mass?

c. If a single atom of Cu has the atomic mass in (b), and if both protons and neutrons have masses of 1 amu, and
electrons have a mass of 0.00054 amu, how many of does the copper atom have? Why does this answer not make
sense?

d. Assuming Cu has two isotopes, 63Cu and 65Cu (where the superscript is the number of protons + the number of
electrons), what percentage of Cu atoms are 63Cu? (Neglect the mass contribution of the electrons)

e. I have 500g of Cu. What volume of Cu do I have?

f. How many moles of Cu do I have?

2. We have 1.80 kg of C6H12O6 (glucose).
a. Calculate the number of moles.

b. How many molecules are present?

c. How many atoms are present?

3. True or False: A 500 cm3 block of a lower atomic number element is always less dense than if it were composed of a higher
atomic number element.