The Building Blocks of Matter:

Atoms

- -

++ +
- + + + -
+ +
-

- -
Matter

• Anything that has mass and takes up space (volume)

• Examples:
• A brick has mass and takes up space
• A desk has mass and takes up space
• A pencil has mass and takes up space
• Air has mass and takes up space

All of the above examples are considered matter because

they have mass and take up space. Can you think of anything
that would not be considered matter?
Atoms

• Smallest possible unit

into which matter can be
divided, while still
- maintaining its
properties.
+ • MadeFor
upexample,
of:+ what is the
+
-

++ - • protonssmallest possible unit

into which a long essay can be
neutrons
• divided and still have some meaning?
• electrons -

- • The solar system is

commonly used as an
analogy to describe the
structure of an atom
Atoms are so small that…

• it would take a stack of about

50,000 aluminum atoms to equal
the thickness of a sheet of
aluminum foil from your kitchen. www.deckersfoods.com
• if you could enlarge a penny until
it was as wide as the US, each of
its atoms would be only about 3
cm in diameter – about the size of
a ping-pong ball
• a human hair is about 1 million C-C-C-C-C-… + 999,995 more
carbon atoms wide.
• a typical human cell contains 1 trillion atoms 
roughly 1 trillion atoms.
• a speck of dust might contain .
Is made of approximately 3 trillion atoms
3x1012 (3 trillion) atoms.
• it would take you around 500
years to count the number of
atoms in a grain of salt.
Just one of these grains
Protons (+)
- -
• Positively charged
-
particles
++ +
• Help make up the nucleus - + + + -
of the atom + +
• Help identify the atom -
(could be considered an - -
atom’s DNA)
• Equal to the atomic
number of the atom
• Contribute to the atomic
mass
• Equal to the number of
+
electrons
Neutrons

- -
-
• Neutral particles;
++ +
- + + + - have no electric
+ +
-
charge
- - • Help make up the
nucleus of the
atom
• Contribute to the
atomic mass
Electrons (-)

• Negatively charged particles - -

• Found outside the nucleus of -
the atom, in the electron ++ +
orbits/levels; each orbit/level - + + + -
can hold a maximum number of + +
electrons ( 1st = 2, 2nd = 8, 3rd = 8 or -
18, etc…)
• Move so rapidly around the - -
nucleus that they create an
electron cloud
• Mass is insignificant when
compared to protons and
neutrons
• Equal to the number of protons
-
• Involved in the formation of
chemical bonds
Hydrogen (H) Atom
• Notice the one electron in the first orbital

+ =1
- How many
=0 more
electrons
can fit in
- =1
+ the 1st
orbital/
level?

Even though there are no neutrons present,

Hydrogen is still considered an atom
Oxygen (O) Atom
• Notice the two electrons in the first orbital/level
and the six in the second

+ =8
- - How many
=8 more
- electrons
can fit in
- =8
++ + the 2nd
+ + + orbital/
- - level?
+ +
-

- -
Sodium (Na) Atom
• Notice the two electrons in the first orbital/level,
eight in the second, and one in the third

+ = 11 -
- - How many
= 12 more
- electrons
- = 11
++ +
can fit in
the 3rd
- + + + - - orbital/
level?
+ +
-
- -
-
The Atom’s “Center”

• Protons and neutrons are grouped together to

form the “center” or nucleus of an atom.
Notice that the electrons are not apart of the nucleus

-
-
+
+ +
-
QUARKS

• Particles that make up protons and neutrons

Notice the Notice the

smaller smaller
particles particles
that make
up this
neutron
after you
+ that make
up this
proton
after you
take a take a
closer look. closer look.

What do you notice about the number

of quarks in the neutron and proton?
Sub-Atomic Particles
Weight Comparison
(protons, neutrons, electrons)

Neutron = 1.6749286 x10-27 kg

Proton = 1.6726231 x10-27 kg
Electron = 9.1093897 x10-31 kg

+
- -
- - - -
- - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1839 electrons = 1 neutron 1836 electrons = 1 proton

+
How do you think the mass of a neutron
compares to that of a proton?

1 neutron ≈ 1 proton
Sub-atomic Particles
Size Comparison
(protons, neutrons, electrons, & quarks)

Size in Size in - -
atoms meters
(m) -
Atom 1 10-10
++ +
Nucleus __1__ 10-14 - + + + -
10,000

Proton or ___1___
100,000
10-15 + +
Neutron
Electron _____1____ 10-18
-
100,000,000
or Quark (at largest)

- -
Atomic Number

• The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom

-
What would
be the atomic
+ number of this
++
-
-
atom?
Mass Number
• The total number of protons and neutrons in an atom’s nucleus
• Expressed in Atomic Mass Units (amu)
• Each proton or neutron has a mass of 1 amu

What would be the mass

number of this atom? -

+  3
 4
+
++
-
3 protons + 4 neutrons =
a mass number of 7 amu

Why did we not account for the -

electrons when calculating the
mass number?
Isotopes

• Atoms that have the same number of protons, but

have different numbers of neutrons
• Examples Notice that each of these atoms have one proton;
therefore they are all types of hydrogen. They
just have a different mass number (# of neutrons).

-
+ + +

-
Hydrogen (Protium) Hydrogen (Deuterium) Hydrogen (Tritium)
Atomic Mass
• The weighted average of the masses of all the naturally occurring isotopes
of an element
• The average considers the percent abundance of each isotope in nature
• Found on the periodic table of elements
• Example What would be the atomic mass (≈) of Hydrogen if these three isotopes
were found in the following percentages (99.9, 0.015, 0) respectively?

+ +
+ -

-
Hydrogen (Protium) Hydrogen (Deuterium) Hydrogen (Tritium)
Mass # = 1 amu Mass # = 2 amu Mass # = 3 amu
If you simply average the three, 2 amu (1 amu + 2 amu + 3 amu/3) would be the atomic mass,
but since 99.9% of the Hydrogen is Protium, the atomic mass is around 1 amu (.999 x 1 amu)
Ion

• Charged particle
that typically
results from a loss - -
or gain of electrons -
• Two types: + = 8
• Anion = negatively = 8 ++ +
charged particle - + + + -
• Cation = positively - = 968
charged particle + +
- -
Now
Now that
that three
Currently,this
thisatom
electrons
atom ofof oxygen
were just
oxygen lost,
is -
gained
the number
an electron,
of electrons
it is no
(6)longer
and
-
neutral because it has an equal
number of or
protons
neutral (8) an
is atom.
still (8)
electrons unbalanced;
It is protons
and now
considered
therefore, anit is
ionstill
(anion).
(8).an ion,This
but ion
nowhas
it
ismore
specifically
electronsreferred
(9) thantoprotons
as a cation.
(8). Symbol
Symbol == O
O1-2+