GENERAL CHEMISTRY 1

Lesson 4
Atoms, Molecules, and Ions

Learning Competencies

- State the different basic law of matter

- Build an Atomic Structure Model

JUMPSTART
Instruction: Guess the gibberish word

1. Tree chores hail fright (Treat yourself right)

2. Bep her own knee peas uh (Pepperoni Pizza)
3. Croupe miss itch (Group Message)
4. Tan cue ex (Thank you next)
5. Sore hay nods ore hee (Sorry not sorry)

LESSON PROPER

John Dalton

While it must be assumed that many more scientists, philosophers,

and others studied the composition of matter after Democritus, a
major leap forward in our understanding of the composition of
matter took place in the 1800s with the work of the British scientist
John Dalton. He started teaching school at age twelve, and was
primarily known as a teacher. In his twenties, he moved to the
growing city of Manchester, where he was able to pursue some
scientific studies. His work in several areas of science brought him a
number of honors. When he died, over 40,000 people in Manchester
marched at his funeral.

Dalton studied the weights of various elements and compounds. He noticed that matter always
combined in fixed ratios based on weight, or volume in the case of gases. Chemical compounds
always contain the same proportion of elements by mass, regardless of amount, which provided
further support for Proust's law of definite proportions. Dalton also observed that there could be
more than one combination of two elements.

Dalton’s Atomic Theory

From his own experiments and observations, as well as the work of his peers, Dalton proposed a
new theory of the atom. This later became known as
Dalton's atomic theory. The general tenets of this theory are as
follows:

● All matter is composed of extremely small particles called

atoms.
 ● Atoms of a given element are identical in size, mass, and other properties. Atoms of
different elements differ in size, mass, and other properties.

● Atoms cannot be subdivided, created, or destroyed.

● Atoms of different elements can combine in simple whole number ratios to form chemical
compounds.

● In chemical reactions, atoms are combined, separated, or rearranged.

Dalton's atomic theory has been largely accepted by the scientific community, with the exception
of three changes. We now know that (1) an atom can be further subdivided, (2) all atoms of an
element are not identical in mass, and (3) using nuclear fission and fusion techniques, we can
create or destroy atoms by changing them into other atoms.

https://youtu.be/IdSUqsq1yY8

Interactive Activity 1

Choose the letter of the correct answer.

1. He studied the weights of various elements and compounds.

a. John Dalton b. Joseph Proust
2. Not all matter is composed of extremely small particles called atoms.
a. True b. False

Basic Law of Matter

Law 1: Law of Conservation of Mass

The law of conservation of mass states that the total mass present before a chemical reaction is
the same as the total mass present after the chemical reaction; in other words, mass is conserved.
The law of conservation of mass was formulated by Lavoisier as a result of his combustion
experiment, in which he observed that the mass of his original substance—a glass vessel, tin, and
air—was equal to the mass of the produced substance—the glass vessel, “tin calx”, and the
remaining air.
Law 2: Definite Proportion

Joseph Proust (1754-1826) formulated the law of definite proportions (also called the Law of
Constant Composition or Proust's Law). This law states that if a compound is broken down into its
constituent elements, the masses of the constituents will always have the same proportions,
regardless of the quantity or source of the original substance. Joseph Proust based this law
primarily on his experiments with basic copper
carbonate.

The Law of Definite Proportions applies when elements are reacted together to form the
same product. Therefore, while the Law of Definite Proportions can be used to compare two
experiments in which hydrogen and oxygen react to form water, the Law of Definite Proportions
cannot be used to compare one experiment in which hydrogen and oxygen react to form water,
and another experiment in which hydrogen and oxygen react to form hydrogen peroxide
(peroxide is another material that can be made from hydrogen and oxygen).

Law 3: Multiple Proportions

Many combinations of elements can react to form more than one compound. In such cases, this
law states that the weights of one element that combine with a fixed weight of another of these
elements are integer multiples of one another. It's easy to say this, but please make sure that you
understand how it works. Nitrogen forms a very large number of oxides, five of which are shown
here.

● Line shows the ratio of the relative weights of the two elements in each compound. These
ratios were calculated by simply taking the molar mass of each element, and multiplying by
the number of atoms of that element per mole of the compound. Thus for NO2, we have (1
 × 14) : (2 × 16) = 13:32. (These numbers were not known in the early days of Chemistry
because atomic weights (i.e., molar masses) of most elements were not reliably known.)

● The numbers in Line are just the mass ratios of O:N, found by dividing the corresponding
ratios in line 1. But someone who depends solely on experiment would work these out by
finding the mass of O that combines with unit mass (1 g) of nitrogen.

● Line is obtained by dividing the figures the previous line by the smallest O:N ratio in the line
above, which is the one for N2O. Note that just as the law of multiple proportions says, the
weight of oxygen that combines with unit weight of nitrogen work out to small integers.

Interactive Activity 2

Choose the letter of the correct answer.

1. This law states that if a compound is broken down into its constituent elements, the masses
of the constituents will always have the same proportions, regardless of the quantity or
source of the original substance.
a. Law of Definite Proportion b. Law of Conservation of Mass
2. He formulated the law of definite proportions.
a. John Dalton b. Joseph Proust

Atomic Structure

The concept that atoms play a fundamental role in chemistry is formalized by the modern
atomic theory, first stated by John Dalton, an English scientist, in
1808. It consists of three parts:

● All matter is composed of atoms.

● Atoms of the same element are the same; atoms of

different elements are different.

● Atoms combine in whole-number ratios to form

compounds.

These concepts form the basis of chemistry. Although the word atom comes from a Greek word
that means "indivisible," we understand now that atoms themselves are composed of smaller parts
called subatomic particles. The first part to be discovered was the electron, a tiny subatomic
particle with a negative charge. It is often represented as e−, with the right superscript showing the
negative charge. Later, two larger particles were discovered. The proton is a more massive (but still
tiny) subatomic particle with a positive charge, represented as p+. The neutron is a subatomic
particle with about the same mass as a proton, but no charge. It is represented as either n or n0.
We now know that all atoms of all elements are composed of electrons, protons, and (with one
exception) neutrons.

Name Symbol Mass Charge

Proton p+ 1.6 × 10−27 1+

Neutron n, n0 1.6 × 10−27 None

Electron e− 9.1 × 10−31 1-

Interactive Activity 3

Choose the letter of the correct answer.

1. Proton has a negative charge

a. True b. False
2. Electron has a positive charge
a. True b. False

Molecules and Ions

Molecular compounds involve atoms joined by covalent bonds and can be represented by a
variety of formulas. Ionic compounds are composed of ions joined by ionic bonding, and their
formulas are generally written using oxidation states.

Molecular compounds are composed of atoms that are held together by covalent bonds. These
bonds are formed when electrons are shared between two atoms. The concept of chemical
formulas was created to describe many characteristics of molecular compounds in a simple
manner. A normal chemical formula encompasses factors such as which elements are in the
molecule and how many atoms of each element there are. The number of atoms of each
element is denoted by a subscript, a small number that is written to the left of the element.
A structural formula is written to denote the details of individual atoms’ bonding. More specifically,
it clarifies what types of bonds exist, between which atoms these bonds exist, and the order of the
atoms’ bonding within the molecule. Covalent bonds are denoted by lines. A single line represents
a single bond, two lines represent a double bond, three lines represent a triple bond, and
onwards. A single covalent bond occurs when two electrons are shared between atoms, a double
occurs when four electrons are shared between two atoms, etc. In this sense, the higher the
number of bonds, the stronger the bond between the two
atoms.

A condensed structural formula is a less graphical way of representing the same characteristics
displayed by a structural formula. In this type of formula, the molecule is written as a molecular
formula with the exception that it indicates where the bonding occurs.

Ionic compounds are composed of positive and negative ions that are joined by ionic bonds.
Ionic bonds are generally formed when electrons are transferred from one atom to another,
causing individual atoms to become charged particles, or ions. Ions can be referred to as either
monatomic or polyatomic. Monatomic ions such as Cl- are composed of only one ion, while
polyatomic ions such as NO3- are defined as polyatomic ions. A combination of these ions that
forms a compound whose charge is equal to zero is known as a formula unit of an ionic
compound. Ionic compounds generally tend to form crystallized salts. They generally have high
boiling/melting points, and are good conductors of electricity. The formulas of ionic compounds
are always written with the cation first, followed by the anion. The formula can then be completed
with reference to the oxidation states of the elements present.

Interactive Activity 4

Identify what is being asked

 1. Written to denote the details of individual atoms’ bonding. (Structural Formula)
2. Composed of atoms that are held together by covalent bonds. (Molecular compounds)

Naming Ionic Compounds

Ionic compounds are named using the formula unit and by following some important conventions.
First, the name of the cation is written first followed by the name of the anion. Because most metals
form cations and most nonmetals form anions, formulas typically list the metal first and then the
nonmetal. Second, charges are not included in the name (or the formula). Remember that in an
ionic compound, the component species are ions, not neutral atoms, even though the formula
does not contain charges. The proper formula for an ionic compound will show how many of each
ion is needed to balance the total positive and negative charges; the name does not need to
include indication of this ratio.

There are two main types of ionic compound with different naming rules for each; Type I:
compounds containing cations of main group elements and Type II: compounds containing
cations of variable charge (generally transition metals).

Type I Ionic Compound

Cations of main group elements do not have variable charges and are the simply named by
placing the name of the cation first, followed by the name of the anion, and dropping the
word ion from both parts. For example, what is the name of the compound whose formula
is Ba(NO3)2Ba(NO3)2?

Type II Ionic Compound

Some metals can form cations with variable charges. When naming a formula for an ionic
compound whose cation can have more than one possible charge, you must first determine the
charge on the cation before identifying its correct name. For example,
consider FeCl2FeCl2 and FeCl3FeCl3. In the first compound, the iron ion has a 2+ charge because
there are two Cl−Cl− ions in the formula (1− charge on each chloride ion). In the second
compound, the iron ion has a 3+ charge, as indicated by the three Cl−Cl− ions in the formula.
These are two different compounds that need two different names. By the stock system, the
names are iron(II) chloride and iron(III) chloride. If we were to use the stems and suffixes of
the common system, the names would be ferrous chloride and ferric chloride, respectively.

Interactive Activity 5

Identify what is being asked

1. Named using the formula unit and by following some important conventions. (Ionic
compounds)
2. Type of ionic compound containing of main group elements. (Type I)

Graded Activity: Written Work 4

Instruction: Identify the following

1. A British scientist who took a major leap forward in our understanding of the composition of
matter. (John Dalton)
2. What are the basic laws of matter?

B. Fill the blanks to complete the table.

Name Symbol Charge

Proton p+ 1+

Neutron n, n0 None

Electron e− 1-

Performance Task 4 (50 points)

Instruction: Make a model of Atomic Structure Model

Bring the following materials

● 10 medium size of Styrofoam (blue)

● 10 medium size of Styrofoam (red)

● 10 small size of Styrofoam (yellow)

 ● Glue

● Scissors

● Card board

● String or yarn

Step 1. Prepare your materials. You will need glue, scissors, cardstock, string, 10 large craft balls (10
of one color for the protons and the other 10 for the neutrons that's a different color), and 10 small
craft balls for the electrons.

Step 2. Glue the protons and neutrons together. Glue both colored craft
balls into a ball, alternating between the protons and neutrons as you glue.
This will resemble the nucleus.

Step 3. Cut out the cardstock. Cut out a small, a medium, a large, and an
extra-large ring using the scissors

Step 4. Tie the rings. Using the string, tie all the rings in a concentric circle
around the nucleus.

Step 5. Glue on the electrons. Glue two small craft balls to the small circle,
eight on the medium circle, eight to the large circle, and then two to the
extra-large circle. These will resemble all the electrons on the atom.

Step 6. Attach a piece of string to the outer circle to help the model hang.