Unit 5 Materials and cycles on Earth

Topic 5.1 The structure of the atom

1 Which particle has a positive electrical charge?

Protons

2 Which of the three particles has the smallest mass?

Electrons

3 Which particles make up the nucleus of an atom?

Protons & Neutrons

4 The size of the negative charge of an electron is exactly the same as the size of the positive charge on a proton.
What is the overall charge of the helium atom shown in the diagram?

No charge; they balance each other out.

5 How are the individual atoms held together?

The individual atoms are held together by electrostatic attraction between the positively charge protons and the
negatively charged electrons

6 Explain how Thompson’s model of the atom is different from the one scientists use today.

Thompson’s model of the atom has no nucleus, unlike the model we use today

7 Who discovered the electron and when did they discover it?

J. J. Thompson discovered the electron in the 1890s

8 Who proved that the neutron existed and when did they do this it?

James Chadwick proved the neutron existed in 1932

9 What two things did Rutherford discover about the structure of the atom?

Ernest Rutherford discovered the proton in 1909 and the nucleus in 1911.

10 How is Rutherford’s model different from the model scientists use today?

Rutherford’s model of the atom has a nucleus but it doesn’t have any neutrons in it because neutrons had not been
proved to exist when his model was formed.
Questions

1 What percentage of 9 carat gold is gold?

37.5%

2 What percentage of silver is in silver marked 900?

90%

3 Which element mixed with carbon in diamonds makes them blue?

boron

4 Which elements may cause a diamond to be green?

nitrogen, nickel or hydrogen.

5 Draw up a table to show the percentage of salts found in seawater.

6 What mass of magnesium chloride would you expect to find in the seawater sample?

14.6 / 100 × 35 = 5.11 g