CHAPTER 3: ATOMS & ELEMENTS

Matter can be a Pure Substance or a Mixture. PURE SUBSTANCE has a fixed composition and
includes elements (cannot be broken down into simpler substance) and compounds (two or more
elements in same proportion, eg. H2O; can be chemically separated); or MIXTURE: two or more
substances physically mixed, but not chemically combined; are either homogeneous (uniform
throughout; a solution), or heterogeneous (nonuniform composition).

ELEMENTS: primary substances from which all other things are built; cannot be broken down.
Chemical symbols are one- or two-letter abbreviations for names of elements. (Exp: Aluminum is Al,
Iron is Fe, Carbon is C, Gold is Au, etc.). Physical properties: characteristics for each element that
can be observed or measured without affecting identity of the element—i.e., shape, color, hardness,
melting point, boiling point, etc.

PERIODIC TABLE: arrangement of elements by increasing atomic number. Group: vertical column
on the PT that contains elements having similar physical and chemical properties. Includes
representative (or main group) elements, or first two columns on left, and last six columns on the right;
and transition elements. Period: horizontal row of elements.

CLASSIFICATION OF GROUPS: alkali metals (Group 1A, except H; soft, shiny metals, good
conductors of heat and electricity, low melting points, react with water, etc.); alkaline earth metals
(Group 2A, shiny, not as reactive); halogens (Group 7A; reactive, form compounds with most
elements); noble gases (Group 8A, unreactive, seldom found in combination with other elements).
 CHAPTER 3: ATOMS & ELEMENTS

METALS, NONMETALS, & METALLOIDS: Metals: shiny solids, ductile, malleable, good
conductors of heat and electricity, melt at higher temps than nonmetals. Metals are divided from
nonmetals by zigzag line. Nonmetals: are not very shiny, malleable, or ductile, poor conductors of
heat/electricity, low melting points. Metalloids: except for aluminum, elements along the zigzag are
metalloids; exhibit some properties of metals and some of nonmetals.

ATOM: the smallest particle of an element that retains the characteristic of that element; all elements
are made of atoms. Dalton’s Atomic Theory proposes that atoms are responsible for the combinations
of elements found in compounds. Atoms have subatomic particles which reside in the nucleus or
outside the nucleus. Subatomic particles include: Proton (p, p+): positively charged, mass of 1 amu,
found in nucleus; Neutron (n, n0): neutral, mass of 1 amu, found in nucleus; Electron (e-): negatively
charged, very small mass, located outside nucleus. Atoms are neutral.

Mass of an atom is expressed in atomic mass unit (amu). Masses of the protons and neutrons in the
nucleus determine the mass of the atom.

Atomic Number: identification of each element; is equal to the number of protons in an atom.
Because atoms have an overall neutral charge, number of protons equal number of electrons. Mass
number: the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.

Problem: For an atom of iron that has a mass number of 56, Protons = 26; Electrons = 26
how many protons, neutrons, and electrons does it have? Neutrons = 56 – 26 = 30

ISOTOPES: atoms of same element that have different numbers of neutrons. Causes mass numbers to
differ, but not their chemical behavior. Magnesium has three isotopes. Symbols of isotopes include
atomic symbol in upper left corner and atomic number in lower left corner of its chemical symbol.

24 25 26
12 Mg 12 Mg 12 Mg

Atomic Mass: average of the mass of all naturally occurring isotopes for an element. Is found on the
Periodic Table (upper right corner). Mg has an atomic mass of 24.3 amu.
 CHAPTER 3: ATOMS & ELEMENTS

Electron ENERGY LEVELS: are a group of Energy Level Orbital Max. # of

electrons with similar energy. Electrons closer to (Shell) (Subshell) Electrons
nucleus have lowest energies, while those farthest 1 s 2
away have higher energies. There are seven levels. 2 s 2
Maximum number of electrons allowed in each p 6
energy level = 2n2, or 1=2, 2=8, 3=18, 4=32, etc. 3 s 2
Energy level changes: by absorbing the amount of p 6
energy equal to the difference in energy levels, an d 10
electron is raised to a high energy level. Orbital: 4 s 2
region around nucleus where electrons of certain p 6
energy are likely to be found—s orbitals, p orbitals d 10
(two lobes), d orbitals, f orbitals. Form subshells f 14
within each energy level (electron shell).
5 s 2
etc. etc.

Electron Level Arrangement of an atom gives the number of electrons in each energy level. Argon
(Ar) is 2,8,8, while Hydrogen (H) is 1.

Electron Configuration: electrons are arranged by subshells starting with the lowest. Electrons are
placed in orbitals up to the maximum number possible before the next orbital starts fill. The Aufbau
Principle indicates the proper electron configuration as follows: 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, 5s, 4d,
5p, 6s, 4f, 5d, 6p, 7s, 5f, 6d, and 7p.

Exp.: Argon (Ar) = 1s22s22p63s23p6, Hydrogen (H) 1s1.

Problem: What element has an electron level arrangement of 2,8,2? 2+8+2 = 12 = Mg

Problem: What is the electron configuration of Magnesium (Mg)? Mg = 1s22s22p63s2

VALENCE ELECTRONS: electrons in the

outermost energy level of an atom. They determine
chemical properties of representative elements.
Also, similarities of behavior occur as number of
valence electrons is repeated.

Groups 1A-8A indicate number of valence

electrons. Exp. Group 1A has 1 valence electron.
Group 8A has 8 valence electrons. (Transition
metals are more complex.)

Electron-Dot Symbols: is a way to represent the

valence electrons for an element.
 CHAPTER 3: ATOMS & ELEMENTS

Problem: What are the group number, symbol, and name of the 5A (15), P, phosphorus
element with atoms that have 5 electrons in the third energy level?

Atomic size: determined by atomic radius, or distance from nucleus to valence electrons. Atomic
radius increased from top to bottom of a group, and decreases across a period.

Ionization energy: the energy needed to remove the least tightly bound electron from an atom in the
gaseous (g) state. The closer the valence electrons are to the nucleolus (as in Period 1), the higher the
ionization energy. A cation is formed when an electron is removed from a neutral atom. Na(g) +
energy (ionization)
Na+(g) + e-. Decreases going down a group, increases going across a period.

Problem: Which of K or Na has the higher Na, as its valence electrons are closer to the
ionization energy, and why? nucleus.

Problem: Arrange Sn, Sr, and I in order of Sr, Sn, I

increasing ionization energy.