4 Atomic Structure

Learning Outcomes
Children will be able to :
describe that an atom consists of electrons, protons and
neutrons,
define atomic number and mass number;
discuss valency of elements and radicals with respect to the
atoms combining with one atom of the element. number of hydrogen

UNIT 1- STRUCTURE OF AN ATOM

ATOMS - BUILDING BLOCKS OF MATTER AND NEUTRAL
IN CHARACTER
We have already learnt that an element is apure substance which
cannot be subdivided into two or more new substances by any means.
Chemists have found 118 elements which exist in nature. The smallest
unit of any element is called an atom. The atoms of different elements
combine with one another to form new substances called compounds.
The compounds so formed are neutral in character, i.e., they have no
electric charges on them. All matter is made by the combination of atoms
of different elements combined together in some fixed ratio. In a way.
atoms are the basic building blocks of the matter.

AN INTRODUCTION TO MODEL OF AN ATOM

DIGYNL1C9F
Maharishi Kanad's atomic theory of matter
Maharishi Kanad (6th century BC] was a great Indian sage in Vedic
period. According to Kanad, if a pure substance (say gold) is cut into
smaller and smaller pieces,ultimately a stage will be reached when you
cannot cut or subdivide it further. He called this tiniest of the tiny particles
of pure substance anu. He further believed that there is apossibility
that anu may be made of two or more particles. He called these particles
paramanu, ie. the ultimate particles which will constitute anu.
John Dalton's atomic theory of matter
John Dalton in 1803 published a theory of atom, assuming that atoms
are ultimate indivisible particles of matter. The term atom comes from

45
 indivisible. The important p0ints
the Greek language, meaning
as :
atomic theory are stated of Dalt
NOTES Matter consists of small indivisible particles, called
Stn Po

SAILthe points putforward

(ii) Atoms of same element are alike in all respects.
different in all
atoms. cha
sp

atomic theory (il Atoms of different elements are numbers

in Dalton's
have been contradicted. (iv Atoms combine in small whole to
form respects.
by modern research,
except that an atom
Imolecules).
v) Atom is the smallest unit of matter, which
compound atom
takes part in a
of
is the smallest unitpart,
matter, which takes
in a chemical reaction.,
reaction.
chemica
Thomson's model of an atom 3GQXFHOJ8K

J.J. Thomson was a brilliant English scientist who did

conduction of electric current through gases at low pressure.
research, he discovered a particle which was electrically
reDursearincgh h
mass equal to 1/1837 times the mass of hydrogen. The
has particle charged
this was negative. He named this particle as electron. charge
As hydrogen was considered the lightest atom, it was clear s
electron isthe part of an atom. In other words, atom is made of
particles, one of them being electron. As an
atom is
electricallysubatneutomirak
therefore, it was thought that there must be a positively charged particds
positive charge, but
within the atom, which will not only have will carryo
most of the mass of an atom. Later Goldstein proved the presence
positively charged particles within the atom by a brilliant experimen
Furthermore, it was found that its mass is almost equal to masS of one
atom of hydrogen. It was named proton.
Further experiments proved that all elements are composed af
nf
electrons and protons. However, no two elements have same number beryllium
protons. For example, the number of protons in helium, lithium,
6, 7, 8 and 9
2, 3, 4, 5,
boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and fluorine is the number of electrons
respectively. Furthermore, it was assumed that
as the atom of any element
in an atom is equal to the number of protons,
is electrically neutral.
electrons and protons
However, the guestion arose about how the
when negative charges on the
are arranged within the atom, especially
electrons attract positive charges on the protons.
atomic model which is called
J.J. Thomson at that time proposed an
apple pie pudding model of atom. }
According to this model, an atom is made up of positively charged
form of a sphere. Into this
the
substance which is spread very thinly in embedded much the same way
sphere negatively charged electrons are
in an apple pie. Furthermore, it wab
as pieces of apple are embedded total negative charg
assumed that total positive charge is equal to
therefore, the atom remains electrically neutral.
Positively
harged
sphere
Electron J.J.
as it was
trom the
Thomson'
unable s
to model
explain
of atom
was not
how accepted by fellow
negatively charged partposiiclteivs,ely charged particles arephysiCists,
Fig. 4.1 :
Thomson's
Model
Atomic RuthInerford's experiment - discovery of getting neutralised.shielded
without
a thin 1911,
gold Rut h erford nucleus
called
0-partic
foil
les lalpha
performed
with very a
small bri
andl iant experiment,PURNQ3wSZo
by
Rutherford: particles). positively
Following were thechargedbombarding
partic les,
Large deflection
1. Most of
the
alpha particles pass observations of
Small without
2. Some deviating from their
path. through the gold foil
Rebounded -
to their deflection alpha
original path and few particles showed small
path
their path. Averyparticles showed deviation from their
very large
a rays
OCO
OO
Undeflected
rays rebounded
Based on
very
to their small number of them
original path.
deviation from
completely
new modelthese
of an observations,
" The atom.
mass of an atom is
Rutherford put forward the

Fig. 4.2 :
Rutherford's experiment
DID YOU KNOW?
Alpha particles are helium ions
(He). They can penetrate
through matter. They are
emitted by radioactive elements
such as radium and polonium.
Nucleus small space within the atomconcentrated in a very very
charged. This explains the (nucleus) and it is positively
some positively charged deviation and rebounding of
" The atom is alpha particles.
size of nucleusalmost empty
is almost from within, such that the
overall size of an atom. negligible as compared to the
" The electrons
revolve around the nucleus at a
speed and hence, do not fall into it. very high
" In an atom,
the
the number of number of protons is always equal to
is electrically electrons as the atom of any
element
an atom to a neutral. fact, he compared model of
In
miniature solar system.
Rutherford's atomic model provided a reasonable view of
However, it failed to explain the position of atoms.
each other and the positively electrons with respect to
charged nucleus.
Assumption and discovery of neutron
Till now, we know that the mass of an atom is
its protons and the electrons have practically concentrated within
negligible mass. Thus, atomic
mass of an element should be equal to the mass of its
protons.
However, when the number of protons was calculated experimentally
within the atom, it was found out that mass of the protons was far less
than the atomic mass, calculated experimentally.
This difference in the mass was explained by saying that within an
47
 almost the same mass
atom, are particles present having particles were named as
but no electric charge. These unknown
proton,
In 1932. James Chadwick discovered
cONSTITUTION OF NUCLEUS OF AN ATOM
neutron.
neutrons Bou
elect
inne

STZNEJ9KDI
According to Rutherford, an atom is almost anempty space, in
containing all the
neutrons.centrHe
protons and
of which is a tiny space
the atom.
called this space nucleus of
In the nucleus of the atom the protons are held So closely that the
attracting the protons, no matter
forces at short distance start the positive
them. These forces at short
charges on them try to repel
called nuclear forces. As a
matter of fact there is an equilibriumdistance are
the attraction due tonuclear forces and
repulsion due to positive
betweer
Thus, following conclusions can be drawn about the nucleus of ancharges
aton:
() The entire mass of an atom is provided by the mass of the
and neutrons within its nucleus, as the electronss have negligible protons
(il The entire positive charge on the nucleus is due to the number of
mass.
charges on individual protons.
(iii) Anucleus is stable in nature because the attraction due to nuclear
forces counterbalances the repulsion due to positive charges.
(iv) Protons and neutrons are collectively called nucleons. For
ifthere are 4 protons and 4 neutrons in the nucleus of an atom theo example,
the number of nucleons is equal to 8.

MODERN ATOMIC MODEL (ARRANGEMENT OF

ELECTRONS, PROTONS AND NEUTRONS IN AN ATOM) GPOVUZBSIM
The modern atomic model is based on the researches conducted
by great scientists like J.J. Thomson, Rutherford, Niels Bohr, Chadwick
and many more.
(1) An atom consists of three main sub-atomic particles i.e., neutrons,
protons and electrons.
(2) (al Neutron has no electric charge on it. Its mass is almost equal
DID YOU KNOW ? to mass of one atom of hydrogen. It is denoted by the symbol
The electrons, protons and 6n, where 1 in the superscript denotes its mass in atomic
neutrons which make up an massunits and 0 in the subscript denotes its charge.
atom are just three of more lb) Proton has unit positive charge on it. Its mass is almost equal
than 200 subatomic particles to mass of one atom of hydrogen. It is denoted by the symbol
known till now.
+1P,where 1in the superscript denotes its mass in atomic mass
units and +1 in the subscript denotes its charge.
(c) Electron has unit negative charge on it. Its
mass is 1837 times
the mass of one atom of hydrogen, and hence, is negligible. It ib
48
 Valerre elesrn
denoted by thesymbol_e, where Oin the superscript
the subscript denotes
in outerrnost
Band
eectrorsn
denotes its mass and -1 in
imeorbts its charge.
core of an
(3) Protons and neutrons form the central
atom, which is cornmonly called nucleus. The protons
and neutrons are held firmly in the nucleus by strong
dieushav nuclear forces.
(4] la) The electrons revolve around the nucleus in fixed
protons a d
retorS

4.3: An atorn of phosphorus orbits or energy levels or shells at a great speed.

Fig
Due to thís high speed, they experience outward pull (centrifugal
force). This force is counterbalanced by electrostatic force of
attraction between the nucleus and the electrons.
(b) The electrons in the shells close to nucleus are held strongly
by the electric pull of nucleus. These electrons are called bound
electrons.
However, the electrons in the outernost shell experience a
very small nuclear force because the distance between them
and the nucleus is greater. These electrons are called valence
electrons.
therefore
(5) As the atom of any normal element is electrically neutral,
it can be safely concluded that the total number of protons in
the nucleus is equal to the total number of electrons revolving
around the nucleus.