Gr 8 Chemistry

Atoms and molecules

History of the discovery of an atom
• Atoms are very tiny. They could not be seen before scanning
tunneling microscopes were invented in 1981.
• However, the idea of atoms goes back to ancient Greece. That’s
where this brief history of the atom begins. You can watch a video
about the history of the atom at this
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B3DDY27Zt
John Dalton’s theory of atoms
• Around 1800, a British chemist named
John Dalton revived early ideas about the
atom.
• Dalton made a living by teaching and just
did research in his spare time.
Nonetheless, from his research results, he
developed one of the most important
theories in science.
• Dalton used evidence from his
experiments to prove that atoms exist.
Dalton’s atomic theory
• All substances are made of atoms. Atoms are the smallest particles of
matter. They cannot be divided into smaller particles. They also
cannot be created or destroyed.
• All atoms of the same element are alike and have the same mass.
Atoms of different elements are different and have different masses.
• Atoms join together to form compounds. A given compound always
consists of the same kinds of atoms in the same ratio.
• Dalton’s theory was soon widely accepted. Most of it is still accepted
today. The only part that is no longer accepted is his idea that atoms
are the smallest particles. Scientists now know that atoms consist of
even smaller particles.
Dalton’s error
• Dalton thought that atoms are solid particles.
• We now know that there are subatomic structures.
Thomson adds electrons
• The next major advance in the history of the atom was the discovery
of electrons.
• These were the first subatomic particles to be identified. They were
discovered in 1897 by a British physicist named J. J. Thomson.
• You can learn more about Thomson and his discovery at this online
exhibit: https://history.aip.org/exhibits/electron/jjhome.htm.
Thomson
• Thomson discovered that
an electric current consists
of negatively charged
particles.

•
Thomson’s model.
• Thomson’s plum pudding
idea.
• An atom is like a plum
pudding with bits of charge
distributed evenly .
Rutherford discovers the nucleus of an atom.
• A physicist from New Zealand named Ernest Rutherford made the
next major discovery about atoms.
• He discovered the nucleus.
• You can watch a video about Rutherford and his discovery at this
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzALbzTdnc8 (3:28).
•
Rutherford
• Based on his experimental results, Rutherford concluded that some of
the charge possessed by an atom is concentrated in a small central
area that has enough mass to deflect alpha particles.
• He called this area the nucleus. Rutherford later discovered that the
nucleus contains positively charged particles. He named the positive
particles protons.
• Rutherford also predicted the existence of neutrons in the nucleus.
However, he failed to find them. One of his students, a physicist
named James Chadwick, went on to discover neutrons in 1932.
• Watch: http://www.light-science.com/chadwick.html.
Rutherford proved Thomson wrong
• Rutherford’s discoveries meant that
Thomson’s plum pudding model was
incorrect
• Positive charge is not spread out
everywhere in an atom. It is all
concentrated in the tiny nucleus.
• The rest of the
• In Rutherford’s model, electrons move
around the nucleus in random orbits. He
compared them to planets orbiting a
star.
• Atoms,
elements,
molecules,
compounds
and mixtures.
Atoms make up elements.
• All elements are made up of atoms.
• E.g. Gold (Au)
• Silver (Ag)
• Iron (Fe)
• Nitrogen gas (N2)
• Oxygen (O2)

• Name the first 10 elements of the periodic table

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ_sNVpZ9xQ
Modern structure of an atom
• Atoms consist of an extremely small,
positively charged nucleus surrounded
by a cloud of negatively
charged electrons.
• The nucleus is less than one ten-
thousandth the size of the atom, the
nucleus contains more
• Nuclei are made of positively
charged protons and electrically
neutral neutrons held together by a
nuclear force.
Learn the first 10 elements of the periodic
table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ_sNVp
Z9xQ
Periodic table
Name the symbols for the following elements
• Copper
• Gold
• Silver
• Carbon
• Silicon
• Mercury
0 Before scientists knew about the subcomponents
seconds of 28 minutes, 25 secondsVolume 90% of atoms, they organized elements based on physical and chemical properties. Dmitri Mendeleev developed an early Periodic Table

Periodic table 2
• Before scientists knew about the subcomponents of atoms, they
organized elements based on physical and chemical properties.
• Dmitri Mendeleev developed an early Periodic Table of the 63 known
elements, leaving gaps for the discovery of new elements to come.
• His table was revised by Henry Moseley to enable today's ordering of
the elements, based on the number of protons.
• Scientists have synthesized new elements up to atomic number 118.
• These new elements further our understanding of the mysteries of
the atom and also have useful applications in forensic science.
Periodic table 3 – groups and periods
• Rows = PERIODS
• Columns = GROUPS

• https://www.learner.org/series/chemistry-challenges-and-
solutions/organizing-atoms-and-electrons-the-periodic-
table/patterns-and-trends-in-the-periodic-table/
 Pure Substances
• Matter can be a PURE substance or a MIXCTURE of different
substances.
• Elements are pure as all the atoms are the same.
• Compounds are pure because all the molecules are identical.
Ratio of elements in a molecule
• Hydrogen + oxygen + oxygen = water
• Hydrogen to oxygen = 2 to 1
• H:O = 2:1

• How many atoms of each element is in one molecule of compound.

• Activity 8 Nr 1
Questions that allow us to identify pure
substances.
• Is the substance a solid, liquid or gas at room
temperature?
• Can the substance conduct electricity?
• Does the substance dissolve in water or not
(insoluable)?
• Does substance float or sink in water? Density
• Is the substance magnetic?
• At what temperature does the substance melt?
• At what temperature does the substance boil?
Diatomic elements/molecules
Chemical bonds and chemical reactions
• A compound is formed by a chemical reaction to form bonds between
elements.

• When the opposite happens and water in broken down, we call that
reaction DECOMPOSITION.
Electrolysis
• This is a decomposition reaction that needs electricity to break down
the molecules.
• The molecules must be in solution.
• If an atom gains a hydrogen ion, it results in a positive charge. CATION
• If an atom loses a hydrogen ion, it results in a negative charge. ANION

• Introduction to electrolysis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uIIq_Ofzgw
Electrolysis 2
• Electrolysis of water
• https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FdX4YPnSYH4

• Electrolysis of copper sulphate

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gTA4hiNQqs
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-FWFJbtZLc
Safety in the lab
• When conducting experiments you should wear:
• A lab coat & safety goggles

• Hair must be tied back.

• No bags or blazers are allowed in the lab.
• Ensure that you have equipment to handle hot items,
• There cannot be any kind of horse play. Anyone showing silly behavior
will be sent out of the lesson and your parents will be notified.
Thermal decomposition
• Heat can be used to break down compounds.
• Heat supplies the energy to break bonds in molecules.

• Potassium permanganate decomposes on heating, releasing oxygen.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1aVQFNsE2Y
Mixtures of elements and compounds
• How would you separate the following:

• Sand and water

• Salt and sand

• Water and ethanol

• Rice and cake flour

Mixture
• A mixture is when two totally different substances are mixed
together. E.g. peanuts and rainsins.
• Mixtures can be separated by
• Using a sieve or filter paper
• Using magnets
• Using electrolysis
• Using heat