1.

2 The Nuclear Atom

Monday, 29 January 2024
7:58 PM

Isotope Calculations
Two types of calculations
 Calculate relative atomic mass (given %)
o Mass = (% x atomic mass) + (% x atomic mass) + … etc
 The % must be represented as a decimal (70% = 0.70)
 Calculate (%) abundance
o Mass = (atomic mass) (x) + (atomic mass) (1-x)

Properties
 Chemical properties
o Isotopes show the same chemical properties as their parent element since
neutrons do not affect how they react
 Physical properties
o Isotopes with more neutrons are heavier and move more slowly at a given
temperature. This can be used to separate them.
 The difference in neutrons does affect physical properties like boiling
and melting points, mass, density and rate of diffusion for gases.
 Remember a physical property is something that can be measured
without changing the chemical composition of the substance
Models of the Atom
Modern Atomic Theory
 Atoms can be subdivided
 Atoms can have different masses
 All matter is composed of atoms
 Atoms of one element differ in properties from this of every other element

Old Models
Rutherford's Model
Bohr's Model
 The idea that the size of an electron's orbit was related to how much energy the electron
had
o The energy level of an electron would determine how far away from the nucleus the
electron would be
o The levels are not evenly spaced
Evidence
Modern Models - Quantum Mechanical Model
 Electrons do not follow in specific paths around the nucleus
o Based on probability
 Uses a cloud model to describe where the electron is likely to be found
 The clouds take on shapes based on where an electron with specific energy is most likely to
be found
Orbitals
 Quantum mechanics keeps the idea of energy levels
o The rows on the periodic table
 Adds sublevels, known as atomic orbitals
 An atomic orbital is an area of space that has a high probability of containing
an electron
 The orbitals are referred to as s, p, d, f
 The shapes of atomic orbitals depend on the energy levels

Electromagnetic Spectrum
 Electromagnetic radiation comes in different forms
 All forms travel at the same speed of light but have different wavelengths
 The higher energy forms have shorter wavelengths and higher frequencies
Line Spectrum
 A line spectrum is an emission spectrum that has sharp lines produced by specific
frequencies of light
 It is produced by excited atoms and ions as they fall back to a lower energy level
 Different elements have different line spectra so they can be used to identify unknown
elements

 In an emission spectrum, the limit of convergence at higher frequency corresponds to

ionization