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Grade 8c Atomic Structure Notes

An atom consists of protons, neutrons, and electrons, with protons and neutrons located in the nucleus and electrons in the outer shells. Various models have been proposed to describe atomic structure, including Thomson's, Rutherford's, and Bohr's models, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Key concepts include atomic number, mass number, valency, isotopes, and isobars, which help explain the behavior and classification of elements.

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3 views

Grade 8c Atomic Structure Notes

An atom consists of protons, neutrons, and electrons, with protons and neutrons located in the nucleus and electrons in the outer shells. Various models have been proposed to describe atomic structure, including Thomson's, Rutherford's, and Bohr's models, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Key concepts include atomic number, mass number, valency, isotopes, and isobars, which help explain the behavior and classification of elements.

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nishika.gup
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Fundamental Constituents of an Atom

An atom contains three basic particles namely protons, neutrons and


electrons. The nucleus of the atom contains protons and neutrons where
protons are positively charged and neutrons are neutral. The electrons are
located at the outermost regions called the electron shell.

Electron
J. J. Thomson, in 1897, discovered negatively charged particles emitted by
the cathode towards the anode in a cathode ray experiment.
These negatively charged particles are Electrons.

Protons
Ernest Goldstein, in 1886, discovered that with a different condition in the
same chamber, anode emitted positively charged particles known as
Canal rays or later named as Protons.

Neutrons
J. Chadwick discovered a subatomic particle with no charge and a mass
equivalent to protons in the nucleus of all atoms. These neutrally charged
particles are Neutrons.

The hydrogen atom (H) contains only one proton, one electron, and no
neutrons.

Different Models on Structure of an Atom


Since the time of the discovery of atoms, there are a variety of theories
which were formulated by many renowned scientists. Mentioned below
are the important theories about the structure of an atom as per the
chapter.
Thomson’s Model of an Atom
J. J. Thomson proposed that the structure of an atom is similar to that of a
Christmas pudding where electrons are embedded like currants in the
sphere. He proposed that:

 The structure of an atom is a positively charged sphere that embeds


electrons in it
 An atom is electrically neutral as the protons and electrons are
equal in magnitude
JJ Thomson’s Atomic Model
Drawbacks of Thomson’s Model: Thomson’s structure of an atom
failed to explain the arrangement of protons and electrons in its
structure.
Rutherford’s Model of an Atom
Rutherford conducted an experiment bombarding the alpha (α)-particles
on a gold foil. He observed the trajectory of the alpha (α)-particles after
passing through an atom and drafted some postulates of the experiment,
which are:

 Most of the space in an atom is empty as the particles passed


through the gold foil without any hindrance
 The positively charged centre is called the Nucleus, and all the
mass of an atom resides in the centre. The particles
deflected 1800 after bombarding the nucleus
 The electrons orbit the centre in a defined path
 The size of the nucleus is small compared to the total size of the
atom

These were the postulates given by Rutherford using scattering of alpha


(α)-particles on a gold foil experiment.

Drawbacks of the Model: Although Rutherford presented an entirely


new model regarding the structure of the atom, there were a lot of
drawbacks which he failed to explain, are-

 The electrons revolve in an unstable path, and they undergo


acceleration radiating energy. When the electrons revolve, they lose
energy. Soon electrons would collapse into the nucleus. This
tendency would make an atom highly unstable while the atom is
highly stable
 Rutherford’s structure of an atom failed to explain the atomic
number concept as it explained only the presence of protons in the
nucleus
Bohr’s Model of an Atom
Bohr devised a model in order to overcome the objections that
Rutherford’s model raised. So, he stated the following postulates:

 An atom permits only a discrete amount of orbitals for the electrons


to orbit and make the outer structure of an atom
 While revolving, the negatively charged particles do not lose energy
in these orbitals or energy levels
 When the electron jumps from one energy shell to another, a
change in magnitude takes place
Bohr’s Atomic Model
Bohr’s model gives an elaborative explanation on the structure of an atom
and overcomes the objections faced by all the other models on the
structure of an atom.

Distribution of Electrons in Distinct Shells


Bohr-Bury Scheme suggested the arrangement of particles in different
orbits. The following are the rules to write the number of particles in
different orbitals:

1. The formula 2n^2 gives the accommodation of the maximum


number of electrons in each shell, n=1, 2, 3, 4 for K=2, L=8,
M=18, N=32.
2. The outermost orbit can hold a maximum of 8 electrons.
3. The electrons fill the inner levels first as they follow the stepwise
filling of orbitals

Number of electrons in K-shell: n = 1


2n2 = 2 × 12 = 2
Maximum number of electrons in K-shell, first shell = 2
Number of electrons in L-shell, n = 2,
2n2 = 2 × 22 = 8

Maximum number of electrons in L-shell, Second shell = 8


Using the formula 2n^2 number of electrons in any shell can be
calculated.

Valency
The next important concept in our notes of the structure of an atom is
that of valency. The negatively charged particles present in the outermost
shell are called Valence Electrons. These valence electrons are
responsible for the valency of an atom.

Valency is the tendency of an atom to react with the other atoms of the
same or various elements. The atoms that fill the outermost paths show
chemical activity towards other valence electrons. This reactivity is
responsible for the formation of molecules between two or more atoms.

The valency becomes zero for an atom when the outer bounds
have eight electrons or no electrons to lose. The particle with eight
electrons in the outermost shell is an octet, and these molecules are
mostly inert in nature.

Magnesium (Mg) has a configuration (2, 8, and 2), so the valency


is two. Oxygen (O) (2, 8, and 6) has the valency two as the number
electrons it can gain is two to achieve a packed outer energy level.
Similarly, Helium (He) has 2 electrons in its outer shell, Neon (Ne) (2,
8, and 8) has eight electrons in its outer shell. Hence, they do not show
any chemical activity.

Atomic Number (Z)


The nucleus of an atom consists of Protons, and the atomic number is
equal to the number of protons present in one atom of an element. As the
atom is electrically neutral, the number of protons and electrons are the
same. The notation Z denotes an Atomic number. The atomic number of
Hydrogen is one as it has only one proton.

Grasping these essential points of the chapter structure of an atom will be


helpful for you-

Number of Protons present in an atom = Atomic number (Z)

Number of Electrons present in an atom= Atomic number (Z)

Number of Neutrons = Mass number (A)- Atomic number (Z)

Mass Number (A)


The mass number is the measure of the total number of protons and
neutrons in the nucleus of an atom. The notation A indicates the Mass
number. The notation N signifies the total number of neutrons.

Mass Number = Atomic Number + Number of Neutrons in the


Nucleus
A = Z + n°

Mass Number is also called Nucleon number.

Isotopes and Isobars


Isotopes and Isobars are important concepts that you must understand for
getting a better grip over the chapter.

Isotopes
The atoms of the same elements with the same atomic number and
different mass numbers. Hydrogen has three isotopes: Protium,
Deuterium, Tritium.

Isobars
The atoms of different molecules with the same mass number. For
Example, in Calcium, atomic number 20, and argon, atomic number 18,
the mass number of both these elements is 40. This shows that the total
number of nucleons is the same in the atoms.

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