Chapter 2

Atoms,
Molecules
and Ions

Ms Veronique Joubert 1
Learning Outcomes...
 Introduction to the Periodic Table.
 Describe the Atomic Theory and Dalton’s Postulates of atoms.
 Identify the subatomic particles in an atom and the difference between
the atomic number and the mass number.
 Define isotopes of an element and determine the average atomic mass
of an atom.
 Distinguish between the formation of different molecules and
compounds.
 Understand the formation of ions and predicting the charges of ions.

Department of Chemistry 2
The Periodic Table
 Introduction to the Periodic Table (PT)
Dmitri Mendeleev (1869, Russian)
- Organized elements by increasing atomic mass.

- Elements with similar properties were grouped

together.

- Predicted properties of undiscovered elements.

Henry Mosely (1913, British)

- Organized elements by increasing atomic number.

Department of Chemistry 4
Newly discovered elements completes 7th period
Ununtrium (Uut-113) Ununpentium (Uup-115)
Ununseptium (Uus-117) Ununoctium (Uuo-118)

IUPAC 2016

5
Organisation of the Periodic Table
Each element:
 representative symbol
 arranged in order of increasing atomic number

• Element groups  similarities in physical and chemical properties.

Group (columns)

Period
(rows)

Department of Chemistry 6
Organisation of the Periodic Table
Metals
Nonmetals
Metalloids

Department of Chemistry
 Organisation of the Periodic Table
Main Group Elements Group A (metals + non-metals)
Transition Metals Group B 1A
Inner Transition Metals 2A 3A 4A 5A 6A 7A
8A

Department of Chemistry
Organisation of the Periodic Table
Alkali metals
Alkali earth metals
Transition metals
weak transition metals
Metalloids
Non-metals
Halogens
Noble gases
Lanthanides + actinides

Department of Chemistry
The Atomic Theory
and Dalton’s
Postulates
 Dalton’s Postulates
•Elements: small particles represented by atoms.
 All matter is composed of atoms.

•Atoms of the same element  identical.

 Atoms of different elements are not the same.

•Atoms can not be created/destroyed.

 Chemical reactions change only the way the atoms are combined in
compounds; the atoms themselves are unchanged.
• Compounds form when different types of atoms combine.
 Chemical compounds consist of atoms combined in specific ratios.
 Molecules of the same compound will have same type of atoms in the same
ratio.
Department of Chemistry 11
 Atoms…
•Elements  arranged on periodic table, represented by atoms.
•Atoms  smallest particle that can react independently.

• Molecules  two or more same or different types of atoms chemically

bonded together.
eg. H2, O2, CO2, H2O

• Compounds  two or more different types of atoms chemically bonded

together.
eg. H2SO4, NaCl, Fe(OH)2

Department of Chemistry 12
Atomic Theory of matter

•Dalton’s theory
-Atoms are the smallest part of an element.

•Law of constant proportion (or composition)

-In a given compound  relative numbers and kind of atoms are constant.
-eg. H2O: 2H and 1 O for all H2O molecules
- H2SO4: 2H, 1S and for 4 O for H2SO4 molecules

Department of Chemistry 13
 Atomic Theory of matter

•Law of conservation of mass

-Total mass of material before reaction (rxn) = total mass of material after
rxn
•5g H2O  0.6g 2H and 4.4g O

• Law of multiple proportions

- 2 types of elements can combine to form different molecules
eg. H and O  H2O, H2O2, -OH
eg. C and O  CO, CO2

Department of Chemistry 14
 The atom and its
subatomic particles
The Atomic Structure

Department of Chemistry 16
Subatomic particles…

Most of the atom’s mass. equal in a neutral

Atomic number = the # of atom
protons

Department of Chemistry 17
Forces between subatomic particles…
► The structure of the atom is determined by interplay of different
forces.
► Opposite electrical charges attract each other, like charges repel
each other.
► Protons and neutrons in the nucleus are held together by the nuclear
strong force.

Department of Chemistry 18
Subatomic particles…
•Neutral atom
-no. of p+ = no. of e-
-Charge in the atom is balanced = 0

•Positively charged atom (cation)

-no. p+ > no. e-
-Atom has overall + charge because of e- lost
-Eg. 2 e- less than p+ = 2+ charge on atom

•Negatively charged atom (anion)

-no. p+ < no. e-
-Atom has overall – charge because of e- gained
-Eg. 3 e- more than p+ = 3- charge on atom
Department of Chemistry 19
Subatomic particles…
•Atom cannot gain or loose p+
-No of p+ for specific atom is fixed
-No of p+ for atom ≡ id of atom

•Atom can gain or loose e-

-Loss of e- in outer energy level
-Gain/loss of e-  determines charge on atom
-Ability to gain or loose e-  atomic bonding

Department of Chemistry 20
Atomic number and Mass number…

Atomic number (Z) = protons

Mass number (A) = protons + neutrons

Mass of subatomic particle  atomic mass unit (amu)

1 amu = 1/12 the mass of a 12C atom
1 p+ = 1.007276 amu = 1.67 x 10-24 g
1n = 1.008665 amu
1 e- = 0.0005486 amu (almost 2000 x lighter than p+)

21
Atomic number and Mass number…
Atoms represented with symbol of element (X), mass number (A) and
atomic number (Z).

- Nuclear symbol:

A 12
Mass #
Symbol
Atomic # Z X 6 C
- Hyphen notation: carbon-12
Department of Chemistry 22
Exercise…
Complete the following table for each atom/ion:
23
11Na 32
32
16
16
S2-
2- 39
39
19
19
K
K++

Mass no. 23 32 39
Mass no.
Atomic no. 11 16 19
Atomic no.
Protons 11 16 19
Neutrons
Protons (23 - 11) = 12 (32 - 16) = 16 (39 - 19) = 20
Neutrons
Electrons 11 (same as p+) (16 + 2) = 18 (19 - 1) = 18
Electrons

23
Isotopes
Isotopes of an element…

Atoms of the same element with different mass

numbers.
 Isotopes have different numbers of neutrons

11 12 13 14
6 C 6 C 6 C 6 C

Department of Chemistry 25
 Isotopes
Chlorine-37 Chlorine-35
37
Cl
atomic #: 17 atomic #: 17

mass #: 37 17 mass #: 35

# of protons: 17 # of protons: 17
# of electrons: 17 # of electrons: 17
35
# of neutrons: 20
17 Cl # of neutrons: 18

Department of Chemistry 26
Average Atomic Mass (or atomic weight)…
 On the Periodic Table.
 Weighted average of all isotopes.
For each isotope of the element

Avg. (mass)(%)  (mass)(%)

Atomic 
Mass 100

Department of Chemistry 27
Example

Calculate the avg. atomic mass of oxygen if its abundance in

nature is 99.76% 16O, 0.04% 17O, and 0.20% 18O.

Avg.
(16)(99.76 )  (17)(0.04)  (18)(0.20) 16.00
Atomic  
100 amu
Mass

Department of Chemistry 28
Example

Find chlorine’s average atomic mass if approximately 8 of every

10 atoms are chlorine-35.0 and 2 are chlorine-37.0.

Avg. (35.0)(8) + (37.0)(2)

Atomic 10 35.4 amu
Mass

Department of Chemistry 29
Molecules and
Compounds
Vocabulary
Chemical Bond

Attractive force between atoms or ions that binds them

together as a unit

bonds form in order to…

‒ decrease potential energy (PE)

‒ increase stability

Department of Chemistry 31
Vocabulary
Chemical formula  indicates the type of atoms and how many of each
atom is present in the molecule/compound.
Eg. CuSO4, H2O, C6H12O6
• Empirical formula  smallest whole number ratio of atoms in a
molecule.

Eg. C6H12O6  C1H2O1 empirical formula

• Structural formula  shows how atoms in a molecule is bonded

together. O

H H
Department of Chemistry 32
Molecules and Compounds
Molecule  2/more atoms (of the same or different kind) chemically
bound together.
Diatomic molecules  elements existing as a 2 atom molecule in
nature. H2, N2, O2, F2, Cl2, Br2, I2

Department of Chemistry 33
Molecules and Compounds
Compound  molecule consisting of different types of atoms
H3PO4, NaCl, KMnO4

Molecular compound
- Compound made up of only non-metals
CO2, NH3, C2H4, H2O2, SO3

- Gases at room temperature

- Non-metal oxides  form acids in water
SO3 + H2O  H2SO4

Molecular bond  two/more non-metals share valence e-

Department of Chemistry 34
Molecules and Compounds
Ionic compound
- Compound made up of a metal + non-metal.
FeCl2, NaCl, MgSO4, CuO

- Solid salts at room temperature.

- Metal oxides  form alkalines in water.
Na2O + H2O  2 NaOH

Ionic bond  metal atom donates an e- (+ charge forms) non-metal accepts

the e- (- charge forms) opposite charges attract one another.

Department of Chemistry 35
Ions
Ion formation
Cation → atom loses 1/more e- and forms a positive (+) charge

Example: Sodium 2311Na

e- e- e- e- e-
e-
e- Lose e-
e- Na
e- e-
e- Na
e-
e- e-
e- Na+
e- valence e-
e- e-
e- e- (outer e-)

11p+ 11p+
11e- 10e-
Charge = 0 Charge = 1+

Department of Chemistry 37
Ion formation
Anion → atom gains 1/more e- and forms a negative (–) charge

Example: Oxygen 168O

e- e- e- e-
e- gain 2e- e-
e- e- O O2-
e- O e-
e-
e-
e- e- e-
e- e- e-

8p+ 8p+
8e- 10e-
Charge = 0 Charge = 2-

Department of Chemistry 38
Ion formation
CATIONS
• Gr IA metals→ 1+ ions (H+, Li+, Na+, K+, etc)
• Gr IIA metals → 2+ ions (Be2+, Mg2+, Ca2+, etc.)
• Gr IIIA metals → 3+ ions (Al3+, B3+)
• Transition metals → variable charges (Mn 2+, Mn4+, Mn7+)
1+
2+ 3+

Department of Chemistry 39
Ion formation
ANIONS
Gr IVA non-metals → 4+ or 4- (C, Si)
• Gr VA non-metals → 3- ions (N3-, P3-, As3-)
• Gr VIA non-metals → 2- ions (O2-, S2-, Se2-,Te2-)
• Gr VIIA non-metals → 1- ions (F-, Cl-, Br-,I- , etc.)
• Gr VIIIA non-metals → noble gas don’t form ions

4+/- 3- 2- 1- 0

Department of Chemistry 40
 Can you…
 interpret the Periodic Table?.
 explain the Atomic Theory and Dalton’s Postulates of atoms.
 determine the number of protons, electrons, neutrons, atomic number
and mass number of an atom?
 identify the difference between isotopes and calculate the average
atomic mass for a particular element?
 distinguish between molecular and ionic substances?
 predict the formation of ions using their position in the periodic table?

Department of Chemistry 41