STPM TERM 1 CHEMISTRY

TOPIC :
Atoms, Molecules and Stoichiometry

UNIT SUB-TOPICS

1.1 Fundamental particles

of an atom

1.2 Relative atomic, isotopic, molecular and formula masses

1.3 The mole and the Avogadro constant

Unit 1.1 Fundamental particles of an atom
LEARNING OUTCOMES

(a) describe the properties of protons, neutrons and electrons in terms of

their relative charges and relative masses;

(b) predict the behaviour of beams of protons, neutrons and electrons in
both electric and magnetic fields;
(c) describe the distribution of mass and charges within an atom;
(d) determine the number of protons, neutrons and electrons present in both
neutral and charged species of a given proton number and nucleon number;
(e) describe the contribution of protons and neutrons to atomic nuclei in
terms of proton number and nucleon number;
(f) distinguish isotopes based on the number of neutrons present, and state
examples of both stable and unstable isotopes.
Concept Map
 Learning Objectives
Section 1.1 ---The Atomic Structure
• Protons, neutrons and electrons as constituents of the
atom
• The relative masses and charges of a proton, neutron
and electron
Section 1.2 Relative isotopic, atomic and molecular
masses
• Relative isotopic and atomic masses
• Relative molecular mass
• Mass spectrometer
 RECAP
1. Relative atomic mass: the weighted average mass of an atom
of an element compared with 1/12 of the mass of an atom of
carbon-12.
2. Relative isotopic mass: the mass of an atom of an isotope as
compared to 1/12 of the mass of an atom of carbon-12.
3. Relative molecular mass: the weighted average mass of one
molecule of an element or compound compared with 1/12 of the
mass of an atom of carbon-12.
4. Relative formula mass: the weighted average mass of one unit
of a substance compared with 1/12 of the mass of an atom of
carbon-12.
The history of development of atomic
theory
John Dalton
 His Theory:
 All substances are made of atoms
 that cannot be created, divided, or
destroyed.
 Atoms join with other atoms to
make new substances.
 Atoms of the same element are
exactly alike, and atoms of
different elements are different.
J.J. Thomson
English chemist and physicist;
discovered 1st subatomic particles.
• His Theory:
• Atoms contain negatively charged particles called
electrons and positively charged matter.
• Created a model to describe the atom as a sphere
filled with positive matter with negative particles
mixed in
• Referred to it as the plum pudding model
Ernest Rutherford
New Zealand physicist
discovered the nucleus.
His Theory:
Small, Dense, Positively
Charged Particle Present In
Nucleus Called A Proton
Electrons Travel Around The
Nucleus, But Their Exact
Places Cannot Be Described.
 Neils Bohr
His Theory:
• Electrons travel around the nucleus in definite
paths and fixed distances.
• Electrons can jump from one level to a path in
another level
• In Bohr’s model, electrons move with constant
speed in fixed orbits around the nucleus, like
planets around a sun.
James Chadwick
His Theory:
• Neutrons have no electrical charge.
• Neutrons have a mass nearly equal
to the
• mass of a proton.
• Unit of measurement for
subatomic
• particles is the atomic mass unit
(amu).
 Modern Theory of the Atom
 Atoms are composed of three main subatomic
particles: the electron, proton, and neutron.
 Most of the mass of the atom is concentrated in
the nucleus of the atom.
 The protons and neutrons are located within the
nucleus, while the electrons exist outside of the
nucleus.
 In stable atoms, the number of protons is equal to
the number of electrons.
 Particle mass and electrical charge
• The actual masses of these sub-atomic particles are
very small and to the nearest whole number measured
relative to the mass of a carbon-12 isotope being
equal to 12 units.
• Protons carry a single positive charge and the
electrons carry a single negative charge, so in the
neutral atom there are always the same number of
protons and electrons.

subatomic.mp4.mp4
 Particle mass and electrical charge
Particle Symbol Charge Relative mass Approximate
(a.m.u) relative mass
(a.m.u)
Proton 1
P +1 1.007 1.0
1

Neutron 1
n 0 1.009 1.0
0

Electron 0
-1 e -1 1/1840 0.0
 Atomic number/ proton number
 The proton number, Z – number of protons in the nucleus of
an atom. Atoms are neutral particles.
Nucleon number

X
A

Mass number Z

Nucleon number = proton number + neutron number

Atomic number
The atomic mass number is represented by the symbol (letter) 'A'. This is not to be confused with the relative atomic mass Ar.

The mass number gives the integral number of nucleons, protons and neutrons found in the nucleus of an atom.

The relative mass is a value that is not necessarily integral that compares a mass to the mass of one atom of a carbon 12 isotope,
assigned a value of exactly 12.0000 units.
 Isotopes
• Atoms of the same element always have the same
number of protons but different number of neutrons.
• This gives rise to different mass numbers.
• Relative abundance is the amount of each isotope as the
percentage for that element occurring on the Earth.
 Stable and unstable Isotopes
1. The nuclei of stable nuclei will not disintegrate spontaneously.

Proton Isotope Proton Isotope

number number
1 Hydrogen-1 17 Chlorine-35
Chlorine-37
7 Nitrogen-14 35 Bromine-79
Bromine-81

2. Unstable isotopes known as radioactive isotopes which disintegrate

spontaneously by emitting α-particles, β-particles and γ-rays.

Stable & Unstable Nuclei Radioactivity Physics FuseSchool.mp4

 Self Assessment 1.1
235 231
92 U 90 Th + ?

225
88
Ra 225
88 Ac + ?

Identify the radioactive particles emitted in each step of the radioactive decay below.

242 238
94
Pu 92
U 234
Th 234
Pa
90 91
 HOTS QUESTION
1. Why some isotopes are stable and others are
unstable?

2. Carbon dating..Principle?

14 1 n
14 1
7 N +0
6 C + 1 H
 Self Assessment 1.2
1. With reference to the Periodic Table, state the
fundamental particles in the following isotopes:
silicone-28; chlorine-37; bromine-79.
 Self Assessment 1.3
1. A beam of deuterium subatomic particles is passed
through an electric field.
+
beam of subatomic particles
x
-
(a) Name the subatomic particles X.

(b) Draw the path of the beam of deuterium ion and electrons in the diagram above

(c) If a beam of hydrogen ions is passed through the electric field, what is the
difference in the deflection angle between the beam of hydrogen ions and that of
deuterium ions
 Relative Isotopic Mass
1. The carbon-12 isotope is chosen as the standard for
comparing the masses of other isotopes. This is
know as the carbon scale and the mass of one atom
of carbon-12=12.00 exactly.
2. The relative isotopic mass of an isotope is defined
as the ratio of the mass of one atom of the isotope to
1/12 of the mass of one atom of carbon-12 isotope.
Relative isotopic mass on the carbon-12 scale= Mass
of one atom of the isotope
Mass of one atom of carbon-12 X 12
Calculate the relative atomic mass of naturally
occurring silicon from the following data

Isotope Relative abundance

Silicon-28 92.21%
Silicon-29 4.7%
Silicon-30 3.09%
 Self Assessment 1.3
1. The relative atomic mass of sample of bromine
which contain two isotopes, Br and 81 35 Br is 79.9.
79
35

Calculate the relative abundance of 79 35 Br in the

sample of Bromine.

2. Naturally occurring copper is a mixture of 69.1%

29 Cu isotope and 30.9% 29 Cu isotope. If the masses
63 65

of the isotopes 6329 Cu 62.93 and 6529 Cu 64.93

respectively, what is the relative atomic mass of Copper.
 Mass spectrometry
1. The mass spectrometry can be used to determine
(a) Relative isotopic mass
(b) Relative abundance of the isotopes
(c) Relative atomic mass
(d) Relative molecular mass
(e) Structural formula of compounds

Mass spectrometry Atomic structure and properties AP Chemistry Khan Academy.mp4

Exit Task

Isotopic mass=…………….
Mass Spectrometry
 Mass spectroscopy
The following are the essential 4 steps in a mass
spectrometer

1.Ionisation

2.Acceleration

3.Deflection

4.Detection
Calculating Relative Atomic Mass
 Self Assessment 1
Calculate the relative atomic mass of Tellurium
from the following abundance data: 124-Te
relative abundance 2; 126-Te relative abundance
4; 128-Te relative abundance 7; 130-Te relative
abundance 6
 Self Assessment 2
Copper has two isotopes 63-Cu and 65-Cu. The
relative atomic mass of copper is 63.5. Calculate
the percentage abundances of these two isotopes.

63.55 = y x 63 + (1-y)x65
63.55 = 63y +65 -65y
63.55 = 65 -2y
2y = 1.45
y = 0.725
%abundance 63-Cu =72.5% %abundance 65-Cu = 27.5%
The mole concept
 The mole and Avagadros number
• A mole of substance is the amount of substance that has the same
number of particles as there are in 12.00g of carbon-12. The
particles may be atoms, molecules, ions or even electrons.

• This number of particles is a constant known as Avagadros

constant (L), and is approximately 6 x 1023mol-1.

• The mass of one mole of a substance is often referred to as the

molar mass (M). The units of molar mass are gmol-1.

• To find the amount of substance present in a given mass, we

must divide that mass by the molar mass of the substance.
 Example 1.9
Determine the number of atoms in each of the
following substances.

(a) 1 mole of magnesium

(b)½ mole of oxygen gas

(c) 3 moles of carbon dioxide

 Moles of gases
• In a reaction involving gases, the volume of the gases
that take part in the reaction is usually more
important as compared to mass of gas.
• Avagadro’s law states that under same conditions of
temperature and pressure, an equal volume of gases
contains equal number moles (molecules)
Volume is directly proportional to moles
Examples: under room conditions, 10cm3 of CO2 will contain the
same number of moles or molecules as 10cm3 of N2
 Moles of gases
• At standard temperature and pressure (s.t.p; 273K
and 101kPa), 1 mole of all gases will occupy a
volume of 22.4 dm3. This volume is known as the
molar volume (Vm).
• Under room conditions, one mole of all gases
occupies 24.0dm3.
Summary
 Self Assessment
1. Calculate the volume occupied by the
following gases at room conditions.

(a) 40g of NH3

(b) 1.5 g of CO2
(c) 24 X 1023 molecules of O2
(d) Calculate the mass of methane gas, CH 4, which will
occupy the same volume as 8.0g of nitrogen gas
under the same condition.
 Self Assessment
1. When potassium chlorate (v) solid is heated
strongly, oxygen gas is liberated.

2KCIO3 (s) 2KCl (s) + 3O2(g)

Calculate the volume of oxygen gas evolved at s.t.p
when 0.5g of potassium chlorate (v) is heated.
 Moles and solutions
1. The concentration of a solution is usually expressed
as the mass of solute per 1.0 dm3 of solution (gdm-3)
or expressed as the number of moles of solute in
1.0dm3 of solution (mol dm-3).

Molarity = concentration g dm-3 / relative molecular

mass of solute

Number of moles of solute = molarity x volume (in

dm3)
 Self Assessment
1. Calculate the molarity of a solution containing 7.3 g
HCl in 1dm3 of solution.

2. Calculate the concentration (in gdm -3) a solution of

0.24moldm-3 sodium nitrate.(NaNO3)

3. Calculate the molarity of sodium hydroxide which

contains 23g of NaOH in 250cm 3 of solution.
4. Calculate the number of ions in 250cm 3 of 0.3M
aqueous aluminium chloride.(AlCl3)
 Self Assessment
1. 25cm3 of 0.2 moldm-3 phosphoric acid
(H3PO4) required 20cm3 of 0.5 moldm-3
sodium hydroxide for complete
neutralisation.

(a) Calculate the number of moles of phosphoric

acid used.
(b)Calculate the number of moles of sodium
hydroxide used
 Empirical formula and molecular formula

Composition by mass
1. The empirical formula of a compound shows
the simplest whole number ratio for the
atoms of all different elements present in one
molecule of the compound.
2. The molecular formula of a compound shows
the actual number of atoms of different
elements in one molecule of the compound.
 A hydrocarbon has the following
composition by mass: C, 92.3%; H, 7.6%

(a) Calculate the empirical formula

(b)Given that the Mr for the hydrocarbon is 78,

determine its molecular formula

(CH)n = 78
n= 6
C6H6
Self Assessment
 Combustion data
The empirical formula or molecular formula of a
compound can be determined by combustion data when
a compound is burnt completely in oxygen.
Example
When 10.8g of magnesium is completely burnt in
excess oxygen, 18.0g of an oxide is formed. Determine
the empirical formula of oxide.
Focus exam questions
Focus exam questions