Elements and Chemical

Reactions
Chapters:
• History of the atomic model
• Atom and its properties
• The Periodic Table
• Trends in the Periodic Table
• Exothermic and Endothermic Reactions

By: Shanawar Ali 8 Blue

 History of the atomic structure

In 460 BC, nearly 3000 years ago a Greek philosopher by the name of Democritus had a theory
that if you were to continuously cut matter in half there would come a point that there would be
only tiny fundamental particles left that could not be further divided. Democritus suggested that all
the matter around us was made up of these tiny indestructible particles continuously moving in
empty space. He called them "atomos", which is where we get the modern word "atom“ meaning
can not be divided. After a vey long time in 1803 a scientist known as Dalton also agreed with the
same theory that Democritus had.

John Dalton The atomic model of Democritus 400 BC

 History of the atomic structure

However, both Democritus and Dalton didn’t tell how the atom was structured. That’s when in
1887 the scientist by the name of Thomson conducted an experiment known as the Cathode Ray
experiment in which we came to the conclusion that an atom is shaped like a plum-pudding
which is why he called it the plum-pudding model. He said that the atom was built of positively
charged matter that had electrons (-ve charged sub-atomic particles) randomly spread in it
just like a watermelon. Then in 1909 a New Zealand physicist known as Ernest Rutherford
conducted another experiment known as the gold foil experiment to define the structure of the
atom. He found out that Thomson's atomic model was
wrong as his results should that the atom consisted of
a nucleus and that the electrons revolved around the
nucleus just like planets rather than just being
randomly scattered. He called his atomic model the
planetary model but he didn’t know what the
nucleus consisted of.
Rutherford's planetary model
 History of the atomic structure

That’s when in 1932 a physicist known as James Chadwick made a break through in science but
doing a complex experiment and by validating Rutherford's atomic model and by discovering a
new sub-atomic particle known as the neutron. At first he suggested that the neutron had a neutral
charged but later on he himself said that it has no charge. Later on more studies were done and
discovered modern quantum cloud models.

James Chadwick The complete history of the atom timeline

 Atom and its properties

Now that we know about the history of atomic structure lets properly describe it. An atom consists
of a nucleus that contains neutrons that have no charge and protons that are positively charged.
Revolving around the nucleus are electrons that are negatively charged. The electrons revolve
around the nucleus with the help of electrostatic attraction which is the attraction between positive
and negative charge that holds the atom together. Naturally, an atom always has the same amount
of electrons as it has protons meaning by nature an atom is stable/neutral. The electrons revolve
around in orbits or in other words shells. These shells can accommodate a specific amount of
electrons depending how close it is to the nucleus. The closet
shell to the nucleus can accommodate 2 electrons and is
known as the K shell the next on can accommodate 8 electrons
and is known as L shell and so on. The number of electrons that
the outermost shell has of an atom is known as its valency e.g.
The valency of lithium is 1. Atoms of an element are recognized
By their atomic mass which is the total mass of the atom and by
Their atomic number which is the number if protons that an atom
has in it. The atomic structure
 The Periodic Table

Since there are so many elements on earth scientists discovered a way to arrange all these elements
in an organized manner by using a table known as the periodic table which is the chart in which all
elements are arranged in an ascending order based on the atomic number. They are arranged in
(18) groups and (7) periods.
The Periodic Table
 Trends in the Periodic Table

A periodic trend is a pattern of elements that share the same properties with different levels of intensity
there are many periodic trends but the main ones are Nobel gases, Halogens and Alkali metals
Nobel Gases:
These elements are all gases and are non-reactive as all their outermost shells are filled. They consist of
Helium, Argon, Krypton, Neon, Xenon and Radon.
Alkali Metals:
These elements have a valency of 1. The atomic radius and density of these elements increases down
the group. However, the boiling/melting points of these elements decreases down the group. They all
are highly reactive and react with water. All of these elements are metals except Hydrogen. They
consist of Hydrogen, Lithium, Sodium, Potassium, Rubidium, Caesium and Francium.
Halogens:
Halogens have a valency of seven in the Periodic Table. The elements in halogens are highly reactive
and are used as disinfectants due to their high reactivity. The density of the elements in halogens
increases down the group. Halogen is also the only group in the Periodic Table that has all three matters
as Fluorine Chlorine are gases, Bromine is liquid and Iodine and Astatine are solids.
 Exothermic and Endothermic Reactions

In science there are two types of chemical reactions, Exothermic Reactions in which heat is
released and Endothermic Reactions in which heat is absorbed. If you mix sodium hydroxide
(NaOH) with water in a tube you feel that the tube is getting hotter as it is releasing heat, this
reaction is known as Exothermic. However when you mix aluminium chloride (AlCl3) with water,
the tube will start to get cold, this reaction is known as endothermic. There are also many daily life
examples for both these reactions such as melting ice, evaporation, photosynthesis cooking eggs
and baking bread are all Endothermic reactions. On the other hand, condensation, freezing ice,
combustion, rusting and burning are all Exothermic reactions.
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