Atomic Structure

Unit 3C: Nuclear physics

Learning objectives
• infer from the results of the α-particle scattering experiment the
existence and small size of the nucleus;
• describe a simple model for the nuclear atom to include protons,
neutrons and orbital electrons;
• distinguish between nucleon number and proton number;
• show an understanding that an element can exist in various isotopic
forms, each with a different number of neutrons;
• use the usual notation for the representation of nuclides;
• know that nucleon number, proton number, and mass-energy are all
conserved in nuclear processes;
• represent simple nuclear reactions by nuclear equations of the form

𝟏𝟒
𝟕 𝑵 +𝟒
𝟐 𝑯𝒆 →
𝟏𝟕 𝟏
𝟖𝑶 + 𝟏 𝑯
 Rutherford Scattering
•Evidence for the structure of the atom was •α-particles are the nucleus of a helium atom and are positively charged

discovered by Ernest Rutherford in the beginning of

•From this experiment, Rutherf ord results were:
•The majority of α- particles went straight
through (A)
• This suggested the atom is mainly empty
space

the 20th century from the study of α-particle

•Some α- particles deflected through small
angles of < 10o
• This suggested there is a positive nucleus
at the centre (since two positive charges

scattering
would repel)
•Only a small number of α- particles deflected
straight back at angles of > 90o (C)
• This suggested the nucleus is extremely
When α- particles are fired at thin small and this is where the mass and

•The experimental setup consists of alpha particles gold foil, most of them go straight
through but a small number bounce
straight back
charge of the atom is concentrated
• I t was theref ore concluded that atoms
consist of small dense positively charged
nuclei, surrounded by negatively charged

fired at thin gold foil and a detector on the other side

electrons

to detect how many particles deflected at different

angles

An atom: a small positive nucleus, surrounded by negative

electrons

•(Note: The atom is around 100,000 times larger than the nucleus!)

α-particle scattering experiment set up

Worked example
•The Rutherford scattering experience
directed parallel beams of α-particles
at gold foil
•The observations were:
• Most of the α-particles went
straight through the foil
• The largest value of n will
therefore be at small angles
• Some of the α-particles were
deflected through small angles
• n drops quickly with increasing
angle of deflection θ
•These observations fit with graph A
 Atomic Structure
•The atoms of all elements are •The properties of each particle are
made up of three types of particles: shown in the table below:
protons, neutrons and electrons.

• A stable atom is neutral (it has no charge)

•Since protons and electrons have the same
charge, but opposite signs, a stable atom has
Protons and neutrons are found in the an equal number of both for the overall
nucleus of an atom while electrons charge to remain neutral
orbit the nucleus
Exam Tip
Remember not to mix up the ‘atom’ and the ‘nucleus’. The ‘atom’ consists of the
nucleus and electrons. The ‘nucleus’ just consists of the protons and neutrons in
the middle of the atom, not the electrons.
 AZX Notation
•Atomic symbols are written in a specific notation called AZX notation

Atomic symbols, like the one above, describe the constituents of

nuclei
•The top number A represents the nucleon number or the mass number
• Nucleon number (A) = total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus
•The lower number Z represents the proton or atomic number
• Proton number (Z) = total number of protons in the nucleus

•Note: In Chemistry the nucleon number is referred to as the mass number and the
proton number as the atomic number. The periodic table is ordered by atomic number
 Nucleon & Proton Number
• The atomic symbol of an element is used to describe the constituents of the nuclei
• An example of this notation for Lithium is:
•When given an atomic symbol, you can figure out
the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in the
atom:
• Protons: The atomic number
• Electrons: Atoms are neutrals, so the number
of negative electrons is equal to the number of Atomic symbol for
positive protons. Therefore, this is also the Lithium
• atomic number
Neutrons: Subtract the proton number from the mass number
•For the lithium atom, these numbers would be:
• Protons: 3
• Electrons: 3
• Neutrons: 7 − 3 = 4
•The term nucleon is the used to mean a particle in the nucleus – i.e. a proton or neutron
•The term nuclide is used to refer to a nucleus with a specific combination of protons and
neutrons
Worked example
 Isotopes
•Although all atoms of the same element always have the same number of protons (and
hence electrons), the number of neutrons can vary
•An isotope is an atom (of the same element) that has an equal number of
protons but different number of neutrons
•The isotopes of hydrogen are deuterium and tritium:The three atoms shown above are
all forms of hydrogen, but they
each have different numbers of
neutrons
•Remember, the neutron number of an
atom is found by subtracting the proton
number from the nucleon number
•Since nucleon number includes the
number of neutrons, an isotope of an
element will also have a different
nucleon/mass number
•Since isotopes have an imbalance of
neutrons and protons, they
are unstable. This means they
constantly decay and emit radiation to
achieve a more stable form
•This can happen from anywhere
Worked example
 Balanced equations
 In α decay, the nucleon number
decreases by 4 and the proton
number decreases by 2.
 In β− decay, the nucleon
number is unchanged and the
proton number increases by 1.
 In β+ decay, the nucleon
number is unchanged and the
proton number decreases by 1.
 In γ emission there is no change
in nucleon or proton number.

The emission of α- and β-particles can

be shown on a graph of nucleon
number plotted against proton
number
 Conservation of Nucleon Number & Charge
•Nuclear processes such as fission and fusion are represented using nuclear equations
(similar to chemical reactions in chemistry)
•The number of protons and neutrons in atom is known as its constituents
•For example:

Balancing the number of

nucleons shows that 3 neutrons
must be released in the reaction
Worked example