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Chemistry LibreTexts

Chapter 2: Atomic Structure

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  • 2.1: The Discovery of Atomic Structure
    Atoms, the smallest particles of an element that exhibit the properties of that element, consist of negatively charged electrons around a central nucleus composed of more massive positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons. Radioactivity is the emission of energetic particles and rays (radiation) by some substances. Three important kinds of radiation are α particles (helium nuclei), β particles (electrons traveling at high speed), and γ rays.
  • 2.2: Atomic Number and Mass Number
    An atom is the smallest unit of an element that can exist. Every atom is made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. These particles define a nuclide and its chemical properties and were discovered in the early 20th century and are described by modern atomic theory.
  • 2.3: Families and Periods of the Periodic Table
  • 2.4: Light
    Light acts like a wave, with a frequency and a wavelength. The frequency and wavelength of light are related by the speed of light, a constant. Light acts like a particle of energy, whose value is related to the frequency of light.
  • 2.5: Photoelectric Effect
  • 2.6: The Bohr Atom
    Niels Bohr proposed a theoretical model for the hydrogen atom that explained its emission spectrum. Bohr’s model required only one assumption: The electron moves around the nucleus in circular orbits that can have only certain allowed radii. Although we now know that the assumption of circular orbits was incorrect, Bohr’s insight was to propose that the electron could occupy only certain regions of space.
  • 2.7: Quantum Numbers
    A total of four quantum numbers are used to describe completely the movement and trajectories of each electron within an atom. The combination of all quantum numbers of all electrons in an atom is described by a wave function that complies with the Schrödinger equation. Each electron in an atom has a unique set of quantum numbers; according to the Pauli Exclusion Principle, no two electrons can share the same combination of four quantum numbers.
  • 2.8: Electron Configurations
    The electron configuration of an element is the arrangement of its electrons in its atomic orbitals. By knowing the electron configuration of an element, we can predict and explain a great deal of its chemistry.
  • 2.9: Ions: Losing and Gaining Electrons
    Most atoms do not have eight electrons in their valence electron shell. Some atoms have only a few electrons in their outer shell, while some atoms lack only one or two electrons to have an octet. In cases where an atom has three or fewer valence electrons, the atom may lose those valence electrons quite easily until what remains is a lower shell that contains an octet.
  • 2.10: Formulas for Ionic Compounds
  • 2.11: Nomenclature of Inorganic Compounds
    Generally, there are two types of inorganic compounds that can be formed: ionic compounds and molecular compounds. Nomenclature is the process of naming chemical compounds with different names so that they can be easily identified as separate chemicals. Inorganic compounds are compounds that do not deal with the formation of carbohydrates, or simply all other compounds that do not fit into the description of an organic compound. \


Chapter 2: Atomic Structure is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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