Unit 3: Introduction to Atomic Theory

Introduction:

Atoms are indivisible particles. They are extremely important structures that make up all of the
materials that we see and use daily. Atoms are found in the human body and they bond together to
form molecules, which make up matter.

The discussions that follow shall illustrate the importance of the atom in our everyday activities.

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this unit, you should be able to:
1. Give a brief account of the historical development of the atomic model;
2. Identify some features of the subatomic particles;
3. Construct a miniature of the different models of the atom;
4. Determine the nuclear charge, the number of protons, electrons and neutrons and the atomic
mass of both neutral and charged atoms;
5. Characterize isotopes of common substances;
6. Cite some practical applications of radioactive elements in medicine, industry and the
environment;
7. Construct a miniature of the atom showing the location of the sub-atomic particles.

Activating Prior Learning:

Image Brainstorm. Shown below are images. You are encouraged to share everything that you know
about the pictures.

1 2 3 4
Source: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/atom-models-scientists-1305565675
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Topic 1: The Nuclear Atom and the Sub-atomic Particles

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this topic, you should be able to:
 Characterize the nuclear atom
 List the three main subatomic particles of an atom.

 Discuss the positions of these particles within the atom and what electric charge they
carry, if any.

Let’s Learn:
Topic 1: The Nuclear Atom and the Subatomic Particles

Let’s Learn
The Nuclear Atom
The precise physical nature of atoms finally emerged from a series of experiments carried out by
scientists between 1895 and 1915.
The most notable of these achievements was Ernest Rutherford's famous alpha-ray scattering experiment,
which established that
-Almost all of the mass of an atom is contained within a tiny (and therefore extremely dense) nu-
cleus which carries a positive electric charge whose value identifies each element and is known as
the atomic number of the element.

-Almost all of the volume of an atom consists of empty space in which electrons, the fundamental carriers
of negative electric charge, reside. The extremely small mass of the electron (1/1840 the mass of the hy -
drogen nucleus) causes it to behave as a quantum particle, which means that its location at any moment
cannot be specified; the best we can do is describe its behavior in terms of the probability of its manifest -
ing itself at any point in space. It is common (but somewhat misleading) to describe the volume of space
in which the electrons of an atom have a significant probability of being found as the electron cloud. The
latter has no definite outer boundary, so neither does the atom. The radius of an atom must be defined ar-
bitrarily, such as the boundary in which the electron can be found with 95% probability. Atomic radii are
typically 30-300 pm.
-All matter contain negatively charged electrons as well as positively charged protons which are
electrically neutral, must also contain positive charges to balance the negative ones. Thomson proposed
that the electrons were embedded in a uniform sphere that contained both the positive charge and most of
the mass of the atom, the structure being likened to chocolate chips in a cookie.

Fig. 5: The structure of the nuclear atom with a central nucleus and surrounding electrons.

Source: https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/General_Chemistry/Map
%3A_General_Chemistry_(Petrucci_et_al.)/02%3A_Atoms_and_The_Atomic_Theory/
2.3%3A_The_Nuclear_Atom

Subatomic Particles
Atoms are the basic units of matter and the defining structure of elements. The term
"atom" comes from the Greek word for indivisible, because it was once thought that atoms were
the smallest things in the universe and could not be divided.
A typical atom consists of three subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. Other
particles exist as well, such as alpha and beta particles. T The center of the atom is called
the nucleus
The Bohr model of the Helium atom shows the three basic subatomic particles in a simple
manner. Most of an atom's mass is in the nucleus—a small, dense area at the center of every atom,
composed of nucleons. Nucleons include protons and neutrons. All the positive charge of an atom is
contained in the nucleus, and originates from the protons. Neutrons are neutrally-charged. Electrons,
which are negatively-charged, are located outside of the nucleus.
The Bohr model depicts the three basic subatomic particles in a comprehensible manner.
Source:https://www.google.com/search?
q=the+helium+atom&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiil4D2vfTiAhVCUN4KHeRlAc8Q_AUIECgB&biw=1280&bih=561&dp
r=1.5#imgrc=XISClf13ryeNQM:

Protons
The conduct of the gold foil experiment by Ernest Rutherford in 1919 led to the discovery of the
protons. He projected alpha particles at gold foil, and the positive alpha particles were deflected. This
result made him conclude that protons exist in the nucleus and have a positive nuclear charge. The atomic
number, which determines an element, is the number of protons present in an atom.

Electrons
While the protons were discovered by Rutherford, it was Sir John Joseph Thomson who
discovered the electrons in 1897 after conducting several experiments involving cathode rays, J.J.
Thomson demonstrated the ratio of mass to electric charge of cathode rays. In his study, he confirmed that
cathode rays are fundamental particles that are negatively-charged. These cathode rays are known as
electrons.
The area surrounding the nucleus of the atom is known as electron cloud. It is in this area where
the electrons are located. The electrons, with the symbol e -, have the greater probability of being located
near the nucleus of the atom.
Electrons have a negative charge that is equal in magnitude to the positive charge of the
protons. However, their mass is considerably less than that of a proton or neutron, but is usually
considered insignificant. If the amount of protons is not equal to the amount of electrons, we produce
charged particles called IONS.

Neutrons
In 1932, James Chadwick discovered the neutrons. In his experiment, he demonstrated that
penetrating radiation incorporated beams of neutral particles. Along with the protons, neutrons are located
in the nucleus, making up almost all of the mass of the atom.
The number of neutrons is called the neutron number. This can be determined by subtracting
the proton number from the atomic mass number. The neutrons in an element determine the isotope of
an atom, and often its stability.
Source: https://www.ndeed.org/EducationResources/HighSchool/Radiography/subatomicparticles.htm

This picture shows the subatomic particles of the elements Hydrogen, Helium and Beryllium
atoms.

Let’s Apply

1. Discuss Rutherford’s findings on his experiment about the physical nature of the atom.

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Let’s Assess

A. Put the correct answer in the space provided. Use your periodic table.
1. What is the atomic number of Nitrogen (N)? _____
2. How many protons does an aluminum (Al) atom have? _____
3. How many electrons does a Boron (B) atom have? _____

Consider a Carbon (C) atom with a mass number of 12:

4. How many protons does this atom have? _____
5. How many electrons does this atom have? _____
6. How many neutrons does this atom have? _____

Consider the atom with A = 32 and Z = 16:

7. How many neutrons does this atom have? _____
8. How many protons does this atom have? _____
9. What is the atomic symbol for this element? _____

B.Fill in the missing items in the table. The first element is done for you.
 Element Atomic Mass No. of No. of Number of
Number Number Protons Electrons Neutrons
(p+ #) (e-#) (n0)
Oxygen 8 16 8 8 8
Calcium 40 40
Lithium 7 3
Helium 2 2
Flourine 19 10

C. Choose the letter of the correct answer

1.Which subatomic particle has a positive charge?
a. proton
b. neutron
c. electron
d. atom
2. Which subatomic particle is located outside of the nucleus?
a. proton
b. neutron
c. electron
d. atom
3. Which particle has no charge”
a. proton
b. neutron
c. electron
d. atom
4. Where is the proton located?
a. inside the nucleus
b. outside the nucleus
5. Which subatomic particle identifies isotopes?
a. proton
b. neutron
c. electron
d. atom
C. Given the following subatomic particles present, identify the element. (The periodic table is required
to solve these problems)
 Charge +1, 3 protons, mass number 6.
 Charge -2, 7 neutrons, mass number 17.
 26 protons, 20 neutrons.
 28 protons, mass number 62.
 5 electrons, mass number 10.
 Charge -1, 18 electrons, mass number 36.

Let’s Summarize

1. Atoms are indivisible particles that make up all the materials that we see and use everyday.

2. Subatomic particles are particles that are smaller than the atom.

3. Protons, neutrons, and electrons are the three main subatomic particles found in an atom.
4. Protons have a positive (+) charge. An easy way to remember this is to remember that both pro-
ton and positive start with the letter "P."
5. Neutrons have no electrical charge. An easy way to remember this is to remember that both neu-
tron and no electrical charge start with the letter "N."