Session I.2.

Part I Review of Fundamentals

Module 2 Basic Physics and Mathematics

Used in Radiation Protection

Session 1 Basic Atomic Structure

IAEA Post Graduate Educational Course

4/2003 Rev 2 Radiation Protection and Safe Use of Radiation Sources I.2.1 – slide 1 of 29
 Overview

 In this session we will discuss the building

blocks of the atom including the Neutron,
Proton and Electron

 We will also discuss how the Atomic Number

specifies the elements and how they are
arranged in the Periodic Table

 Finally, we will discuss how Isotopes of an

element have different Atomic Mass

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 2 of 29

 Atom

The atom is
composed of:  positively charged (+)
protons,

 uncharged neutrons
and

 negatively charged
(-) electrons

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 3 of 29

 Atom

Thomson’s Model Rutherford’s Model

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 4 of 29

 Atom

Bohr’s Model

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 5 of 29

 Nucleus

Protons and neutrons together

form the nucleus of the atom.

The nucleus determines the

identity of the element and its
atomic mass.
Proton and neutrons have essentially the
same mass but only the proton is charged
while the neutron has no charge.

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 6 of 29

 Protons

Protons are positively charged

particles found inside the
nucleus of an atom. Each
element has a unique atomic
number (a unique number of
protons).

Proton number never changes for any given

element. For example, oxygen has an atomic
number of 8 indicating that oxygen always has
8 protons.

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 7 of 29

 Neutrons

Neutrons are the other particle

found in the nucleus of an
atom. Unlike protons and
electrons, however, neutrons
carry no electrical charge and
are thus "neutral."

Atoms of a given element do not always

contain the same number of neutrons.

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 8 of 29

 Electrons

Electrons are negatively

charged particles that surround
the nucleus in “orbits” similar
to moons orbiting a planet.

The sharing or exchange of electrons between

atoms forms chemical bonds which is how
new molecules and compounds are formed.

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 9 of 29

 ELECTRON BINDING ENERGY

 Electrons exist in discrete “shells” around

the nucleus (similar to planets around the
sun)
 Each shell represents a unique binding
energy holding the electron to the nucleus
 The shells are designated by letters (K, L, M,
N …) where K, the shell closest to the
nucleus, has the largest binding energy, so
the K electron is the most tightly bound
 Maximum number of electrons in each shell:
2 in K shell, 8 in L shell …
4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 10 of 29
 Summary of the Atom

Particle Symbol Mass (kg) Energy (MeV) Charge

Proton p 1.672E-27 938.2 +1
Neutron n 1.675E-27 939.2 0
Electron e 0.911E-30 0.511 -1

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 11 of 29

 Atomic Mass Unit (amu)

Where 1 amu is
approximately equal to
1.6605 x 10-24 grams

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 12 of 29

 Atomic Mass Unit (amu)

The atomic mass of the proton and the neutron

is approximately:

Proton = 1.6726 x 10-24 grams = 1.0073 amu

Neutron = 1.6749 x 10-24 grams = 1.0087 amu

Thus, the neutron is just a little heavier than

the proton.

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 13 of 29

 Atomic Mass Unit (amu)

The difference in the mass of the neutron

and the proton can be understood if we
assume that the neutron is merely a proton
combined with an electron forming a neutral
particle slightly more massive than a proton
alone.

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 14 of 29

 Atomic Mass Unit (amu)

The atomic mass of the electron is

approximately:

Electron = 9.1094 x 10-28 grams = 0.00055 amu

Thus, the electron has a much smaller mass

than either the proton or the neutron, 1837
times smaller or about 2000 times smaller.

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 15 of 29

 Elements

The number of protons in an atom dictate

the element.

For an uncharged atom, the number of

electrons equals the number of protons.
4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 16 of 29
 10 Most Abundant Elements

Element Symbol Protons Relative % of Earth’s Mass

Oxygen O 8 46.6
Silicon Si 14 27.7
Aluminum Al 13 8.1
Iron Fe 26 5.0
Calcium Ca 20 3.6
Sodium Na 11 2.8
Potassium K 19 2.6
Magnesium Mg 12 2.1
Titanium Ti 22 0.4
Hydrogen H 1 0.1

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 17 of 29

 Periodic Table of the Elements

In 1869, Russian chemist Dmitri

Mendeleev first described an
arrangement of the chemical
elements now known as the
periodic table.

The periodic table displays all

chemical elements systematically
in order of increasing atomic
number (the number of protons in
the nucleus).

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 18 of 29

 Periodic Table of the Elements

Lanthanide Series
Rare Earth
Elements

Actinide Series
4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 19 of 29
4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 20 of 29
 Sample Element - Zirconium

40 Electron Shell Configuration:

Zr
Zirconium
91.2
K 1s-2 2
L 2s-2 2p-6 8
M 3s-2 3p-6 3d-10 18
N 4s-2 4p-6 4d- 2 10
O 5s-2 2

10 + 18 + 12 = 40
K
L
M
N
O

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 21 of 29

 Sample Element - Zirconium

Name: Zirconium
Symbol: Zr
Atomic Number: 40
Atomic Mass: 91.224 amu
Melting Point: 1852.0 °C
Boiling Point: 4377.0 °C
No. of Protons/Electrons: 40
No. of Neutrons: 51
Classification: Transition Metal
Phase at Room Temperature: Solid
Density @ 293 K: 6.49 g/cm3
Color: Grayish
Date of Discovery: 1789
4/2003 Rev 2 Discoverer: Martin Klaproth I.2.1 – slide 22 of 29
 Isotopes

Atoms of an
element that have
a different number
of neutrons in the
nucleus are called
isotopes of each
other.

A Xy = element symbol
isotope notation
typically written as: Z
Xy A = atomic mass (neutron + protons)
Z = atomic number (protons)
4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 23 of 29
 Isotopes

The number of
protons and
electrons remain
the same.

But the number of

neutrons varies.

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 24 of 29

 Isotopes

equal number of protons and neutrons

There are many

isotopes. Most
have more
neutrons than
protons. Some
are stable but
most are unstable
(radioactive).

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 25 of 29

 Stable Nuclides

long range
electrostatic
forces p Line of stability

n
short range
nuclear forces

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 26 of 29

 Stable and Unstable Nuclides

Too many
neutrons
for stability

Too many
protons
for stability

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 27 of 29

 Summary

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 28 of 29

 Where to Get More Information

 Cember, H., Introduction to Health Physics, 3rd

Edition, McGraw-Hill, New York (2000)

 Firestone, R.B., Baglin, C.M., Frank-Chu, S.Y., Eds.,

Table of Isotopes (8th Edition, 1999 update), Wiley,
New York (1999)

 International Atomic Energy Agency, The Safe Use

of Radiation Sources, Training Course Series No. 6,
IAEA, Vienna (1995)

4/2003 Rev 2 I.2.1 – slide 29 of 29