Material Structure

All matter is considered to be composed of unit substances known as

chemical elements. These are the smallest units that are
distinguishable on the basis of their chemical activity and physical
properties. The elements are composed of atoms which have distinct
structure characteristic of each element.
Here are some definitions:
Matter: Anything that has weight and that takes up
space.
Forms of Matter: Solid, Liquid, Gas
Molecule: The smallest particle of matter that retains
the same properties of that matter. Example: Water

H2O = H2 + 1/2 O2

H2O (Water) = Molecule

H (Hydrogen) = Element

O (Oxygen) = Element

Compound: A substance that can be broken down

into two or more simpler substances. (A compound is
made of millions of molecules)
Element: The smallest part of a substance that retains
the same properties of that substance and can not be
broken down any further. Elements are composed of

atoms which have a distinct structure characteristic of

each element.
Atom: The smallest particle of an element which
retains the distinct structure characteristic of an
element.

Figure 1. Atomic Model

Atomic Structure: The free atom is composed of

electrons, protons, and neutrons. Almost the entire mass
of the atom is concentrated in the nucleus, which
contains the protons (positive charges) and neutrons
(electrically neutral particles). An atom consists of a
minute positively charged nucleus surrounded by a
sufficient number of electrons (negative charges) to
keep the atom as a whole neutral. Since the electron and
proton have equal but opposite electrical charge, the
neutral atom must contain an equal number of electrons
and protons.

The electrons, spinning on their own axes as they rotate

around the nucleus , are arranged in definite shells. The
maximum number of electrons that can fit in each shell
is 2n2 where n is the shell number. The maximum

number of electrons that can fit in the first shell (K) is

two, the second shell (L) eight, the third shell (M)
eighteen, the fourth shell (N) thirty two, etc.
Elements are designated according to their chemical
symbols. Thus iron (Fe) has an atomic number of 26
and an atomic mass number of 56. This means that each
iron atom has 26 electrons, 26 protons and 30 neutrons.
Atomic Mass Number:
Atomic Mass Number = A = Number of electrons +
Number of neutrons or it can be equal to Number of
Protons + Number of Neutrons. If we let A= Atomic
Mass Number, then

A= e+n

A= p+ n

where p = Number of Protons , n = Number of neutrons

and e = Number of electrons
Atomic Number:
Atomic Number = Z = Number of electrons = Number
of protons

Z=e=p

If we look at Iron as an example, the atomic number of

iron is 26 ( Z=26) and the atomic mass number is 56 ( A
= 56).
Valence Electrons: The electrons that are largely
responsible for the chemical behavior of the element
and located in the unfilled shells.
Isotopes: Atoms of the same element that have
different atomic mass numbers. Isotopes of an element
have the same atomic number but differ in their atomic
mass number because, even though they have the same
number of electrons and protons (electrically neutral),
they differ in the number of neutrons. Example:
Hydrogen.
The following table shows the isotopes of hydrogen:

Hydrogen (H11)

Deuterium (H21)

Tritium (H31)

1 electron

1 electron

1 electron

1 proton

1 proton

1 proton

0 neutrons

1 neutron

2 neutrons

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