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Atomic Structure Flashcards & Quiz

Subatomic particles, isotopes, electron configuration and the atomic models: flashcards and practice questions. Free in your browser, no sign-up.

Subject: chemistry

Summary

Atom - ⚛️ The fundamental building block of matter, consisting of a nucleus and orbiting electrons. Proton - ➕ A positively charged subatomic particle found in the nucleus with a relative mass of 1. Neutron - ⚪ A neutral subatomic particle found in the nucleus with a relative mass of 1. Electron - ➖ A negatively charged subatomic particle that orbits the nucleus with negligible mass. Nucleus - 🎯 The tiny, dense, positively charged core at the center of an atom. Atomic Number (Z) - #️⃣ The number of protons in an atom's nucleus, defining the element. Mass Number (A) - ⚖️ The total number of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus. Isotopes - 🧪 Atoms of the same element with the same number of protons but different neutrons. Ion - ⚡️ An atom or group of atoms that has gained or lost electrons, carrying an electric charge. Electron Shells - 🐚 Energy levels where electrons orbit the nucleus, holding a limited number of electrons. Valence Electrons - 💡 Electrons in the outermost shell that determine an atom's chemical reactivity. Relative Atomic Mass - 📊 The weighted average mass of an element's isotopes based on natural abundance. Orbital - 🌀 A region of space within a subshell where an electron is most likely to be found. Rutherford's Model - 🔬 Proposed a nuclear atom with a tiny, dense positive nucleus and mostly empty space. Bohr's Model - 🌌 Explained that electrons orbit in fixed energy levels, emitting specific light wavelengths.

Flashcards

What is the relative charge of a proton?
+1
What is the relative mass of a proton?
1
Where is a proton located within an atom?
Nucleus
What is the relative charge of a neutron?
0
What is the relative mass of a neutron?
1
Where is a neutron located within an atom?
Nucleus
What is the relative charge of an electron?
−1
What is the relative mass of an electron?
1/1836
Where is an electron located within an atom?
Shells around the nucleus
Where are protons and neutrons located within an atom?
In the nucleus
Where are electrons located within an atom?
In shells around the nucleus
What fundamental property of an atom defines its element?
Number of protons
What does the atomic number (Z) represent?
Number of protons
What does the mass number (A) represent in an atom?
Total protons plus neutrons
How is the number of neutrons in an atom calculated using its mass number (A) and atomic number (Z)?
A minus Z
What distinguishes isotopes of the same element from each other?
Different numbers of neutrons
What distinguishes an ion from a neutral atom of the same element?
Different number of electrons
Why do isotopes of an element have identical chemical properties?
Same electron arrangement
What is the net electrical property of an ion?
It carries a charge
What does the relative atomic mass of an element represent?
Weighted average of isotope masses
What factor determines the weighting in the calculation of relative atomic mass?
Natural abundance of isotopes
Why does no single atom of an element have a decimal mass value?
It is an average
What is the maximum number of electrons in the first, second, and third shells according to the school convention?
2, 8, 8
Which electrons are located in the outermost shell of an atom?
Valence electrons
Which electrons primarily determine an element's chemical reactivity?
Valence electrons
What did the observation of most alpha particles passing straight through the gold foil indicate about atomic structure?
Atom is mostly empty space
What did the deflection of a tiny fraction of alpha particles backward in Rutherford's experiment suggest?
Dense positive nucleus
What did Rutherford's experiment conclude about the location of an atom's positive charge and mass?
Concentrated in a tiny nucleus
Which subshell fills before the 3d subshell?
4s subshell
What is the maximum number of electrons an s subshell can hold?
2 electrons
What is the maximum number of electrons a p subshell can hold?
6 electrons
What is the maximum number of electrons a d subshell can hold?
10 electrons
Which blocks of the periodic table correspond to the s-block elements?
Groups 1 and 2
Which blocks of the periodic table correspond to the p-block elements?
Groups 13 to 18
Which blocks of the periodic table correspond to the d-block elements?
Transition metals
What happens when an electron falls from a higher energy level to a lower one?
It emits light
Why does light emitted by electrons falling to lower energy levels have a specific color?
Fixed energy difference between levels
What did Bohr's atomic model propose about electron energy levels?
Electrons occupy fixed energy levels

Quiz questions

  1. What is the relative charge of a proton?

    Answer: +1

    According to the provided table, a proton has a relative charge of +1.

  2. What is the relative charge of a neutron?

    Answer: 0

    According to the provided table, a neutron has a relative charge of 0, meaning it is neutral.

  3. What is the relative charge of an electron?

    Answer: -1

    According to the provided table, an electron has a relative charge of -1.

  4. What is the relative mass of a proton?

    Answer: 1

    According to the provided table, a proton has a relative mass of 1.

  5. What is the relative mass of a neutron?

    Answer: 1

    According to the provided table, a neutron has a relative mass of 1.

  6. What is the relative mass of an electron?

    Answer: 1/1836

    According to the provided table, an electron has a relative mass of 1/1836, which is often treated as negligible.

  7. Where are protons located within an atom?

    Answer: nucleus

    According to the provided table, protons are located in the nucleus.

  8. Where are neutrons located within an atom?

    Answer: nucleus

    According to the provided table, neutrons are located in the nucleus.

  9. Where are electrons located within an atom?

    Answer: shells around the nucleus

    According to the provided table, electrons are located in shells around the nucleus.

  10. How does the distribution of subatomic particles contribute to an atom being mostly empty space with a dense core?

    Answer: Protons and neutrons, which contain almost all the atom's mass, are concentrated in a tiny nucleus, while electrons with negligible mass occupy a vast volume.

    The source states that almost all of the atom's mass is in the nucleus (protons and neutrons), which takes up only a minute fraction of the atom's volume. Electrons, with negligible mass, occupy the much larger space around the nucleus, making the atom mostly empty space.

  11. An atom has an atomic number (Z) of 15 and a mass number (A) of 31. How many protons, electrons, and neutrons does this neutral atom contain?

    Answer: 15 protons, 15 electrons, 16 neutrons

    The atomic number (Z) is the number of protons, so there are 15 protons. In a neutral atom, the number of electrons equals the number of protons, so there are 15 electrons. The number of neutrons is found by subtracting the atomic number from the mass number (A - Z), so 31 - 15 = 16 neutrons.

  12. Which statement accurately compares isotopes and ions of the same element?

    Answer: Isotopes differ in neutron count and have identical chemical properties, while ions differ in electron count and carry an electric charge.

    Isotopes are atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons, affecting mass but not chemical properties (which are governed by electrons). Ions are atoms that have gained or lost electrons, resulting in a net electric charge, while their nucleus remains unchanged.

  13. Why is the relative atomic mass of an element, as found on the periodic table, typically a decimal number?

    Answer: It represents the weighted average of the masses of an element's naturally occurring isotopes, based on their abundance.

    The relative atomic mass is a decimal because it's a weighted average of the masses of an element's isotopes, taking into account their natural abundances. No single atom has this decimal mass.

  14. According to the '2,8,8' convention for electron shells, what is the primary significance of valence electrons for an element's chemical behavior?

    Answer: Valence electrons are in the outermost shell and determine the element's group in the periodic table and its chemical reactivity.

    The source states that valence electrons are in the outermost shell and their number determines the element's group in the periodic table and its chemical reactivity.

  15. How did Rutherford's gold foil experiment challenge Thomson's plum pudding model of the atom?

    Answer: Most alpha particles passed straight through the foil, indicating a largely empty atom, while a few deflected backward, suggesting a dense, positive nucleus.

    Rutherford's experiment showed most alpha particles passing through, implying mostly empty space, and a few deflecting sharply, indicating a tiny, dense, positively charged nucleus. This directly contradicted Thomson's model of a uniform, solid positive sphere with embedded electrons.

  16. How does the subshell filling order explain the '2,8,8' convention for the first 20 elements and relate to the periodic table's organization?

    Answer: The 4s subshell fills before the 3d, causing the third shell to 'pause' at 8 electrons, and this order defines the s, p, and d blocks of the periodic table.

    The 'quirk' where the 4s subshell fills before the 3d subshell explains why the third shell appears to 'pause' at 8 electrons (3s² 3p⁶) before the fourth shell starts to fill (4s²), thus giving the 2,8,8 convention for the first 20 elements. This subshell filling order also directly organizes the periodic table into s, p, and d blocks.

  17. How do electron transitions between energy levels lead to the emission of light at specific colors, and what did this phenomenon support in Bohr's atomic model?

    Answer: Electrons emit light of specific colors when they fall from a higher energy level to a lower one, supporting Bohr's idea of fixed energy levels.

    When an electron in an excited state falls back to a lower energy level, it emits a photon of light. The specific color (wavelength) of this light corresponds to the fixed energy difference between the levels, which provided strong evidence for Bohr's model of electrons occupying only fixed, quantized energy levels.

  18. An {0} is built from three subatomic particles.

    Answer: atom

    An atom is the fundamental unit built from subatomic particles.

  19. Protons, neutrons, and electrons are the three {0} that make up an atom.

    Answer: subatomic particles

    Protons, neutrons, and electrons are the fundamental components of an atom.

  20. Protons and neutrons are located together in the {0}, a tiny dense core at the center of the atom.

    Answer: nucleus

    The nucleus is the central, dense core of an atom containing protons and neutrons.

  21. The atomic number (Z) represents the number of {0} in an atom's nucleus.

    Answer: protons

    The number of protons defines an element and is given by its atomic number.

  22. The mass number (A) is the total count of protons plus {0} in the nucleus.

    Answer: neutrons

    Neutrons, along with protons, contribute to the mass number of an atom.

  23. In a neutral atom, the number of {0} equals the number of protons.

    Answer: electrons

    Electrons orbit the nucleus and balance the positive charge of protons in a neutral atom.

  24. The {0} (Z) defines an element by specifying the number of protons in its nucleus.

    Answer: atomic number

    The atomic number (Z) is unique to each element and represents its number of protons.

  25. The {0} (A) is the total number of protons plus neutrons in the nucleus.

    Answer: mass number

    The mass number (A) represents the total count of protons and neutrons in an atom.

  26. {0} are atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons.

    Answer: Isotopes

    Isotopes have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons, leading to different mass numbers.

  27. An {0} is an atom that has gained or lost electrons and therefore carries a charge.

    Answer: ion

    Ions are formed when atoms gain or lose electrons, resulting in a net electric charge.

  28. Electrons occupy {0}, also called energy levels, at increasing distances from the nucleus.

    Answer: electron shells

    Electron shells are energy levels where electrons are found, filling from the innermost outward.

  29. The electrons in the outermost shell are the {0}, and their number determines an element's chemical reactivity.

    Answer: valence electrons

    Valence electrons are the outermost electrons that determine an element's chemical behavior.

  30. The {0} of an element, a decimal number on the periodic table, is the weighted average of the masses of its isotopes.

    Answer: relative atomic mass

    The relative atomic mass is a weighted average of an element's isotopes based on their natural abundance.

  31. At A-level, shells are divided into {0} labeled s, p, d, and f.

    Answer: subshells

    Subshells are subdivisions within electron shells, each holding a specific number of electrons.

  32. An {0} is a region of space within a subshell where an electron is most likely to be found.

    Answer: orbital

    An orbital is a specific region within a subshell that can hold at most two electrons.

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