2: Atoms and the Periodic Table
- Page ID
- 188815
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This chapter will describe some of the fundamental chemical principles related to the composition of matter, including those central to the concept of molecular identity.
Unit 2 Objectives
By the end of this unit, you will be able to:
- Define: proton, neutron, electron, mass number, atomic number, isotope, ion, cation, anion, and orbital.
- Differentiate between the three major subatomic particles by charge and location in an atom and determine how many of each an atom has.
- State the law of conservation of mass and describe how it relates to chemistry.
- Identify the elements by name and symbol.
- Extract relevant information from the periodic table.
- Name the various groups on the periodic table.
- Draw the shape of an s orbital, a p orbital, and a p subshell. Determine the number of electrons each orbital and subshell can hold (s, p, d, f).
- Give the electron configuration for an atom using Bohr’s model, Noble Gas configuration, quantum mechanical notation, and box orbital diagrams.
- 2.1: Evolution of Atomic Theory
- Although no one has actually seen the inside of an atom, experiments have demonstrated much about atomic structure. Thomson’s cathode ray tube showed that atoms contain small, negatively charged particles called electrons. Millikan discovered that there is a fundamental electric charge—the charge of an electron. Rutherford’s gold foil experiment showed that atoms have a small, dense, positively charged nucleus; the positively charged particles within the nucleus are called protons.
- 2.2: Atomic Structure and Symbolism
- An atom consists of a small, positively charged nucleus surrounded by electrons. The nucleus contains protons and neutrons; its diameter is about 100,000 times smaller than that of the atom. The mass of one atom is usually expressed in atomic mass units (amu), which is referred to as the atomic mass. An amu is defined as exactly \(1/12\) of the mass of a carbon-12 atom and is equal to 1.6605 \(\times\) 10−24 g.
- 2.3: The Periodic Table
- The discovery of the periodic recurrence of similar properties among the elements led to the formulation of the periodic table, in which the elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number in rows known as periods and columns known as groups. Elements in the same group of the periodic table have similar chemical properties. Elements can be classified as metals, metalloids, and nonmetals, or as a main-group elements, transition metals, and inner transition metals.
- 2.4: Memorizing Element Names and Symbols
- You are responsible for identifying these elements by name or symbol for CHE 101 at Oregon Tech.
- 2.5: Development of Quantum Theory
- Macroscopic objects act as particles. Microscopic objects (such as electrons) have properties of both a particle and a wave. but their exact trajectories cannot be determined. The quantum mechanical model of atoms describes the 3D position of the electron in a probabilistic manner according to a mathematical function called a wavefunction, often denoted as ψ. The squared magnitude of the wavefunction describes the distribution of the probability of finding the electron in a particular region in
- 2.6: Electron Configurations
- This page explains the theory behind writing electron configurations of atoms.
- 2.7: Unit 2 Practice Problems
- Practice problems with solutions for unit 2 including atomic structure, periodic table, and electron configurations.
- 2.8: Electromagnetic Energy - Lab 4
- Light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation move through a vacuum with a constant speed, c. This radiation shows wavelike behavior, which can be characterized by a frequency, ν, and a wavelength, λ, such that c = λν. Light is an example of a travelling wave. Other important wave phenomena include standing waves, periodic oscillations, and vibrations. Standing waves exhibit quantization, since their wavelengths are limited to discrete integer multiples of some characteristic lengths.
Contributors
Paul Flowers (University of North Carolina - Pembroke), Klaus Theopold (University of Delaware) and Richard Langley (Stephen F. Austin State University) with contributing authors. Textbook content produced by OpenStax College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 license. Download for free at http://cnx.org/contents/85abf193-2bd...a7ac8df6@9.110).
- Christy VanRooyen, Oregon Tech
Thumbnail: Spinning Buckminsterfullerene (\(\ce{C60}\)). Image used with permission (CC BY-SA 3.0; unported; Sponk).