Atoms, Molecules, Ions
Atoms, Molecules, Ions
Atoms, Molecules, Ions
• Protons (+1) and electrons (–1) have a charge; neutrons are neutral.
• Protons and neutrons have essentially the same mass (relative mass 1). The
mass of an electron is so small we ignore it (relative mass 0).
• Protons and neutrons are found in the nucleus; electrons travel around the
nucleus.
ATOMIC MASS AND ATOMIC WEIGHT
MEASUREMENT
• Atoms have extremely small masses.
• The heaviest known atoms have a mass of
approximately 4 × 10–22 g.
• A mass scale on the atomic level is used,
where an atomic mass unit (amu) is the
base unit.
• 1 amu = 1.66054 × 10–24 g
• Atomic and molecular weight can be
measured with great accuracy using a mass
spectrometer.
• Masses of atoms are compared to the
carbon atom with 6 protons and 6 neutrons
(C-12).
ATOMIC NUMBER, ATOMIC MASS, AND
ISOTOPES
• The atoms of each element have a characteristic number of protons. The number of protons in an
atom of any particular element is called that element’s atomic number.
• Because an atom has no net electrical charge, the number of electrons it contains must equal
the number of protons.
• The atomic number is indicated by the subscript; the superscript, called, the mass number is the
number of protons and neutrons
ATOMIC NUMBER, ATOMIC MASS, AND
ISOTOPES
• Isotopes have the same atomic
number, but different mass numbers.
• Isotopes are atoms of the same
element with the same number of
protons, but different numbers of
neutrons.
• Isotopes of the same element have the
same chemical properties, although
there will be very small differences in
their physical properties.
• Most elements have more than one
isotope. Some isotopes are radioactive.
ATOMIC WEIGHT CALCULATIONS
•Atomic weight is the natural mixture of isotopes
found in nature
•To calculate the atomic weight of an element is to
use the following equation:
Atomic Weight = Σ[(isotope mass) x (fractional
isotope abundance)]
EXAMPLE
Three isotopes of silicon occur in
28
nature: Si (92.23%), atomic mass
29
27.97693 u; Si (4.68%), atomic mass
30
28.97649 u; and Si (3.09%), atomic
mass 29.97377 u. Calculate the atomic
weight of silicon.
THE PERIODIC TABLE
• As the list of elements
began to grow
throughout history,
certain elements were
noticed to have similar
traits as other elements.
• For example, Na and K
had similar properties
while He and Ne also had
similar properties to one
another.
• These similarities
became known as
periodic trends or
families
METALS, NONMETALS, AND METALLOIDS
MOLECULES AND
MOLECULAR COMPOUNDS
• A molecule is an aggregate of two or more
atoms in a definite arrangement held
together by chemical forces.
• A diatomic molecule contains only two
atoms: H2, N2, O2, Br2, HCl, CO
• A polyatomic molecule contains more than
two atoms: O3, H2O, NH3, CH4
• Molecules that contain more than one type
of atom are called molecular compounds
MOLECULAR FORMULA AND EMPIRICAL
FORMULA
• A molecular formula
shows the exact
number of atoms of
each element in the
smallest unit of a
substance.
• An empirical formula
shows the simplest
whole-number ratio of
the atoms in a
substance.
PICTURING MOLECULES
• Structural formulas shows which atoms are attached to which
• Atoms can be represented by their symbols and bonds by lines
• This type of modeling does not show the actual geometry of the molecule
• The ball-and stick model has the advantage of showing the actual
geometry of the atoms in relation to one another.
• The space filling model shows the relative sizes of atoms and their
geometries.
IONS
• An ion is an atom, or group
of atoms, that has a net
positive or negative charge.
• Positive Ion – ion with a
positive charge. If a neutral
atom loses one or more
electrons it becomes a
positive ion. It is called a
cation.
• Negative Ion – ion with a
negative charge. If a neutral
atom gains one or more
electrons it becomes a
negative ion. It is called an
anion.
TYPES OF ION
b) If a metal can form cations with different charges, the positive charge is indicated by a Roman
numeral in parentheses following the name of the metal:
An older method still widely used for distinguishing between differently charged ions of a metal
uses the endings -ous and -ic added to the root of the element’s Latin name:
CATIONS
c) Cations formed from molecules
composed of nonmetal atoms have
names that end in -ium:
ANIONS
a) The names of monatomic anions are formed by replacing the ending of the name of the
element with –ide
b) Polyatomic anions containing oxygen have names ending in either -ate or -ite and are called
oxyanions. The -ate is used for the most common or representative oxyanion of an element,
and -ite is used for an oxyanion that has the same charge but one O atom fewer:
ANIONS
Prefixes are used when the series of oxyanions of an element extends to four members, as with the
halogens. The prefix per- indicates one more O atom than the oxyanion ending in -ate; hypo-
indicates one O atom fewer than the oxyanion ending in -ite
ANIONS
c) Anions derived by adding H+ to an
oxyanion are named by adding as a
prefix the word hydrogen or
dihydrogen, as appropriate:
In the chemical formulas for aluminum nitrate and copper(II) perchlorate, parentheses followed by
the appropriate subscript are used because the compounds contain two or more polyatomic ions.
YOUR TURN
Name these ionic Provide the formula for
compounds: these ionic compounds:
(a) K2SO4 (a) sodium hydride
b) Acids containing anions whose names end in -ate or -ite are named by changing -ate to -ic and
-ite to -ous and then adding the word acid. Prefixes in the anion name are retained in the name
of the acid:
YOUR TURN
Name these acids: Provide the formula for
(a) HBr these acids:
(b)HCN (a) acetic acid