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Week One Lesson Note Basic Science J3

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Week One Lesson Note Basic Science J3

Uploaded by

Principled Muh Ju'mah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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E-LEARNING NOTE

Basic Science JSS 3

WEEK 1
TOPIC: ATOMIC STRUCTURE

CONTENT
Meaning of Atom; Concept of Electrons, Protons and Neutrons
Simple atomic model; Properties of atoms
Concept of Elements, Molecules, Compounds and Mixtures

Sub-Topic 1: Meaning of Atom; Concept of Electrons, Protons and Neutrons

MEANING OF ATOM
Matter (solid, liquid or gas) is made up of tiny particles called atoms.
An atom is the smallest particle of matter which can take part in a chemical reaction.
An English Chemist called John Dalton (1766 - 1844) put forward some statements about the
atom in1803 and 1808 which are referred to as Dalton’s atomic theory. These helped to explain
some observations about the structure and behavior of atoms. However with advancement in
science and the contribution of more scientists like J.J Thomson in 1897, Robert Millikan
in1909-1916 and Earnest Rutherford in 1911, the theory has been modified. Presently, scientists
agree that:
An atom is made up of a number of small particles namely, the electron, the proton and the
neutron. None of these can exist on its own naturally.
An atom is the smallest particle of matter that can take part in a chemical reaction.
In nuclear reactions atoms can be created or destroyed.
Some atoms of the same element have different masses for example in those elements that have
isotopes.
Most inorganic compounds are formed by the joining of atoms of two or more elements in a
definite whole number ratio, but for large organic molecules such as proteins, fats and starches
which involve the joining of thousands of atoms, this theory does not hold.

CONCEPT OF ELECTRONS, PROTONS AND NEUTRONS


An atom is made up of three fundamental particles; the electrons, protons and neutrons.
Structurally, an atom consists of a small dense, centrally placed nucleus which is surrounded by
electrons. The nucleus is made up of the protons and the neutrons. The protons and neutrons are
collectively called the nucleons. Most of the atom is empty space. Most of the mass is
concentrated in the nucleus.
ELECTRONS: These are tiny particles situated at a comparatively great distance from the centre
of the atom. They travel rapidly and continuously in orbits around the nucleus. An electron has a
negative charge and a very negligible mass of about 9.1 × 10-28g, this is about 1800 times
lighter than the hydrogen atom.

PROTONS: These are tiny, positively charged particles found in the nucleus of an atom. The
positive charge is equal in magnitude to the negative charge on the electron. Thus, an atom with
the same number of electrons and protons is electrically neutral. The mass of the proton is 1 ×
10-24g, which is about 1800 times larger than that of the electron.

NEUTRONS: These are tiny particles found in the nucleus of an atom. They have no electric
charge i.e. they are neutral. Neutrons have about the same mass as a proton.

Sub- atomic Particle


Unit of electric charge
Relative mass
Proton
+1
1.00
Electron
-1
1/1840
Neutron
none
1.00

EVALUATION
What is an atom?
Name the fundamental particles of an atom
State the charges on these particles and their relative masses.
Who was the first chemist to propound theories about atoms?

Sub-Topic 2: SIMPLE ATOMIC MODEL


Ernest Rutherford in 1909 proposed a model of the atom. His model showed a small dense,
positively charged nucleus surrounded by relatively empty space and electrons continuously
orbiting the nucleus at a great distance from it. However in the light of further experimental
results, other models of the atom have been proposed.
The electrons occupy different orbits or shells called K,L,M,N, shells or 1,2,3,4, shells round the
nucleus. These shells may also have sub shells designated s, p d, subshells.
Examples are;

PROPERTIES OF ATOMS
Atoms have several properties that help distinguish one type of atom from another and determine
how atoms change under certain conditions. These properties include;
The Atomic number: The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom is called its atomic
number (Z). All atoms of the same element have the same number of protons and so have the
same atomic number. Atoms are normally electrically neutral so the atomic number also shows
how many electrons an atom has. However, an atom may lose or gain an electron to become a
charged particle called an ion. When an atom loses an electron it forms a positively charged ion
called a cation. When an atom gains an electron it forms a negatively charged ion called an
anion. The number of electrons thus determines many of the chemical and physical properties of
an atom.

The Mass number: The sum of the protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom is called the
mass number of the atom (A). The number of neutrons is denoted by N.

The relationship between the number of neutrons and protons is given by; A=Z - N

The Atomic Mass and Weight: Scientists use a device called a mass spectrometer to measure
atomic mass. The mass of an atom is measured in terms of a unit called the atomic mass unit
(amu). An amu is defined as exactly 1/12 the mass of an atom of carbon with six protons and six
electrons.
An element’s atomic weight represents the mass of one mole of its atoms. A mole is the mass of
a very large number of atoms. A mole of atoms of any element contains 6.02 × 1023 atoms. This
is also called the molar mass.

Isotopes: Atoms of the same element that differ in mass number (A) are called isotopes. They
have the same atomic number (Z). These elements have the same number of protons in their
nucleus but different numbers of neutrons. For example, hydrogen has three isotopes 1H; 2H; 3H
called Protium, Deuterium and Tritium respectively.
EVALUATION
Draw a simple atomic model of Helium atom with two electrons, two protons and two neutrons.
Briefly describe the three types of hydrogen atoms that exist.
Write the (a) mass number (b) atomic number of Sodium atom.

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