Chapter 3

Looking Under the Atomic

Hood:
Atomic Structure
In This Chapter
_ Finding your way around atoms and the periodic table
_ Figuring out ions and electron configuration
_ Illuminating the info you need on isotopes
_ Getting up to speed on decay
_ Understanding the excited state of electrons

F or hundreds of years, scientists have operated under the idea that all matter is made
up of smaller building blocks called atoms. So small, in fact, that until the invention of
the electron microscope, the only way to find out anything about these tiny, mysterious particles
was to design a very clever experiment. These experiments allowed chemists to get
around the fact that they couldn’t exactly corner a single atom in a back alley somewhere
and study it alone — they had to study the properties of whole gangs of atoms and try to
guess what individual ones might be like. Through some remarkable cleverness and some
incredibly lucky shots in the dark, chemists now understand a great deal about the atom,
and guess what? You need to, too! Because we don’t want to leave you hanging, in this chapter
we introduce you to everything you need to know about atoms, their properties, and
what they are made of.

Picking Apart Atoms and the Periodic Table

The following sections begin by giving you the basics on how atoms are structured so that
you can not only get to know their components, but also, you can easily figure out how
atoms help to classify elements. Even better, we give you the ultimate road map for the periodic
table, showing you how the periodic table can give you some valuable info that helps
you predict certain properties of elements.

Getting a gander at what makes up an atom

For now, picture an atom as a microscopic building block. Atoms come in all shapes and
sizes, and you can build larger structures out of them. However, like building blocks, atoms
are extremely hard to break. In fact, there is so much energy stored inside an atom that
breaking one in half is the process that drives a nuclear explosion.