Tutorial 4: The Periodic Table, Isotopes and Electron Configuration

Goals:

✓ To understand the structure of the atom and the location of protons, neutrons and electrons.

✓ To be able to use the periodic table to determine atomic number, atomic mass, group number, period
number, electron configuration and the number of valence electrons for main group elements.

✓ To understand what isotopes are and be able to represent them with a chemical symbol.

1
 The  Periodic  Table

• Groups:    The  vertical  columns.  

• Periods:    The  horizontal  rows.  
• Element  Symbol:    The  abbreviation  for  the  full  element  name.  
• Atomic   Number:     Tells   the   number   of   protons   in   the   element;     this   is   fundamental   to   the   identity   of   an  
element!  
• Atomic  Mass:    The  weighted  average  mass  of  all  the  naturally  occurring  isotopes  of  an  element.

6   Atomic  Number

C   Element  Symbol

Carbon  
12.011 Atomic  Mass

2
 The  Periodic  Table  Continued
Alkaline Earth Metals Halogens
Alkali Metals Noble Gases

1A 2A 3A 4A 5A 6A 7A 8A

1 2
H Nonmetals He
1 hydrogen helium
1.01 4.00

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Li Be Metals B C N O F Ne
2 lithium beryllium boron carbon nitrogen oxygen fluorine neon
6.94 9.01 10.8 12.0 14.0 16.0 19.0 20.2

11 12 Metalloids 13 14 15 16 17 18
Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar
3 sodium magnesium aluminum silicon phosphorus sulfur chlorine argon
23.0 24.3 27.0 28.1 31.0 32.1 35.5 39.9

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr
4 potassium calcium 45.0 47.9 50.9 52.0 54.9 55.8 58.9 58.7 63.5 65.4 gallium germaniu arsenic selenium bromine krypton
39.1 40.1 69.7 m 74.9 79.0 79.9 83.8
72.6

37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54
Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe
5 rubidium strontium 88.9 91.2 92.9 95.9 98 101 103 106 108 112 indium tin antimony telluriu iodine xenon
85.5 87.6 115 119 122 m 127 131
128
55 56 57 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86
Cs Ba La Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn
6 cesium barium 139 178 181 184 186 190 192 195 197 201 thallium lead bismuth poloniu astatine radon
133 137 204 207 209 m 210 222
209
87 88 89 104 105 106 107 108 109 110
Fr Ra Ac Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds
7 francium radium 227 261 262 271 272 270 276 281
223 226

58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71
Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
140 141 144 145 150 152 157 159 163 165 167 169 173 175
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103
Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr
232 231 238 237 244 243 247 247 251 252 257 258 259 262

3
 Subatomic  Particles
• The  number  of  protons  is  given  in  the  periodic  table  as  the  atomic  number.    This  is  fundamental  to  the  identity  of  
the  element.  

• Electrons   are   equal   to   the   number   of   protons   in   a   neutral   atom.     Electrons   can   be   gained   or   lost   without   changing  
the  identity  of  the  atom.    Metals  commonly  lose  electrons  to  form  cations.    Nonmetals  commonly  gain  electrons  to  
form  anions.  

• The  number  of  neutrons  can  vary  without  changing  the  identity  of  the  atom.    Two  atoms  with  the  same  number  of  
protons  but  a  different  number  of  neutrons  are  isotopes  of  the  same  element.    You  can  determine  the  number  of  
neutrons  in  a  particular  isotope  from  the  mass  number.    The  mass  number  is  the  sum  of  the  protons  and  neutrons  
in  an  atom.    Thus,  the  number  of  neutrons  can  be  found  by  subtracting  the  atomic  number  from  the  mass  number.      

Mass Number

H
2  
1  

Atomic Number

• In  the  example  above,  the  hydrogen  atom  has  1  proton  (atomic  number  1),  1  neutron  (2-­‐1),  and  1  electron  (equal  
number  of  protons  and  electrons).

4
 Electron  Configuration
• Electrons  are  restricted  to  certain  regions  of  space  within  an  atom  called  orbitals.    An  orbital  can  only  house  up  to  two  
electrons.  
– Electrons  occupy  energy  levels  (1,  2,  3…)  
– Within  each  energy  level  there  are  certain  sub-­‐levels  available  (s,  p,  d  and  f)  
– Within  an  s  sub-­‐level  there  is  one  spherical  shaped  orbital  that  may  contain  up  to  two  electrons  max  
– Within   a   p   sub-­‐level   there   are   three   dumbbell   shaped   orbitals   that   may   contain   up   to   two   electrons   each   (therefore  
6  electrons  max  in  a  p  sub-­‐level)  

s py

px

pz
• We  show  the  location  of  electrons  through  written  electron  configurations.  
Superscripts represent the number of
electrons in the energy level/sub-level

Mg  (atomic  number  12):    1s22s22p63s2 Letters represent sub-levels

within energy levels
Numbers represent
energy levels