1) An atom consists of a dense positively charged nucleus surrounded by negatively charged electrons orbiting at a distance.
2) The nucleus contains protons and neutrons. The number of protons determines the element and is known as the atomic number.
3) Electrons are arranged in energy levels known as shells or orbitals around the nucleus according to quantum numbers. The arrangement of electrons in shells explains an element's position in the periodic table.
1) An atom consists of a dense positively charged nucleus surrounded by negatively charged electrons orbiting at a distance.
2) The nucleus contains protons and neutrons. The number of protons determines the element and is known as the atomic number.
3) Electrons are arranged in energy levels known as shells or orbitals around the nucleus according to quantum numbers. The arrangement of electrons in shells explains an element's position in the periodic table.
1) An atom consists of a dense positively charged nucleus surrounded by negatively charged electrons orbiting at a distance.
2) The nucleus contains protons and neutrons. The number of protons determines the element and is known as the atomic number.
3) Electrons are arranged in energy levels known as shells or orbitals around the nucleus according to quantum numbers. The arrangement of electrons in shells explains an element's position in the periodic table.
1) An atom consists of a dense positively charged nucleus surrounded by negatively charged electrons orbiting at a distance.
2) The nucleus contains protons and neutrons. The number of protons determines the element and is known as the atomic number.
3) Electrons are arranged in energy levels known as shells or orbitals around the nucleus according to quantum numbers. The arrangement of electrons in shells explains an element's position in the periodic table.
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ATOMIC STRUCTURE
From your knowledge of Chemistry, you have learned that all matter is composed of ATOMS. An atom consists of a dense positively charged nucleus surrounded at a relatively large distance by a negatively charged electron.
The nucleus consists of sub atomic particles protons which are positively charged and neutrons which are electrically neutral. Because an atom is neutral over all, the number of positive charged in the nucleus and the number of negatively charged electrons surrounding the nucleus is the same. Although extremely small – about 10-14 to 10-15m in diameter, the nucleus contains all the mass of the atom. Electrons have negligible mass and circulate around the nucleus at a distance of approximately 10-10m. Thus, the diameter of a typical atom is about 2x10-10m or 200 picometer (pm), where 1 pm = 10-12m. A specific atom is described by its atomic number (z) which gives the number of protons it contains in the nucleus and the number of electrons surrounding the nucleus. All the atom of a particular elements has the same atomic number and each element has a different atomic number from that of any other element. Example: Carbon atom (z=6) have 6 protons and 6 electrons Oxygen atom (z=8) have 8 protons and 8 electrons
The total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom is its mass number, (A). Each protons and each neutron contributes one unit to the mass number. Thus, a carbon atom with 6 protons and 6 neutrons in its nucleus has a mass number of 12, a uranium atom with 92 protons and 146 neutrons on its nucleus has a mass number of 238. Atoms with the same atomic number but different mass number are called isotopes. Isotopes of an element are atoms that have different number of neutrons and therefor different mass number. Carbon has three naturally occurring isotopes, 12C, 13C, 14C. All of these carbon isotopes, have 6 protons and 6 electrons. We can therefor say that the chemical properties of an element are primarily determined by the number of electrons, so all isotopes of an element have nearly identical chemical behavior, even though they have different mass.
ELECTRONIC CONFIGURATION AND THE PERIODIC TABLE
How are electrons arranged/distributed in an atom? Neil Bohr proposed the orbital model of an atom. In Bohr’s model, the energy of the electrons is quantinized – that is the electrons is restricted to only certain allowed energies. The path of the electrons circulating around the nucleus is called energy level, n, where n is a positive integer. The lowest principle energy level corresponds to n = 1, the n = 2 and so on. As n increases, the energy of the electrons increases and the electron is found on average further from the nucleus. Each energy level has a maximum electron population following the formula n2, where n is the principal quantum number. Principal quantum number, n Maximum electron population 1 2 electrons 2 8 electrons 3 18 electrons 4 32 electrons
The nucleus can move from one orbit
to another only if the atom absorbs or emit a photon whose energy equals the difference in energy level. The lowest energy level (n = 1) is called the ground stable. When the electron is in the second or any higher orbit, the atom is said to be in excited state. Neil Bohr also stated that electron has to be in only specific energy level, it cannot exist between energy level. When electrons fall from a high energy level to the lower energy level, a quantum of energy is emitted as light at specific frequency and wavelength. After Bohr orbital model of an atom, another scientist by the name Schrodinger created a mathematical model that described electron as waves. Using his wave mechanic concepts, we can determine the probability of finding electrons in a certain region around the atom. It is important to recognized that we cannot locate an electron precisely within an atom, however, it is clear that electrons are not revolving around the nucleus in orbits as Bohr postulated. The electrons are instead found in orbitals. An orbital is a region in space around the nucleus where there is a high probability of finding given electrons.
Electron density diagram, sometimes called
electron cloud representation. The electron density decrease with distance from the nucleus along a line. The probability of the electrons being far from the nucleus is very small but not zero.
The atoms’ principal level n, is subdivided into sublevels or subshells which designate the orbital shape. Sublevels are designated as s, p, d, and f, where these letters are derived from the names of spectroscopic lines, sharp, principal, diffuse, and fundamental. For: n sublevels 1 s 2 sp 3 spd 4 spdf
The electron population per sublevels are; s = ze-, p = 6e-, d = 10e, and f = 1αe-. Each orbital has a specific shape; an s orbital is spherical with the nucleus at its center, a p orbital is dumb bell, d-orbital is cloverleaf shaped. Of the four orbitals, we will consider only the s and p orbitals because these are the most common in Organic and Biochemistry. Each orbital can hold 2 electrons of opposite spins.
s-orbital p-orbital
The p sublevels have 3 orbitals, the Px, Py, and Pz. Each 3 orbitals have 2 lobes.
THE PERIODIC TABLE AND ELECTRON ARRANGEMENT
The elements in the periodic table is arranged according to group, the vertical arrangement and periods, the horizontal arrangement. There are 8 groups and 7 periods. The periods represent the main energy level and the group number represents the number of electron in the outer shell which is called the valence shell. In writing the electronic configuration, the periodic table is divided into blocks, the s – block, p – block, d – block, and f – block (see illustration). All the elements in the s – block will end with s, p – block, p and so on.
Example: Element Electronic Configuration Orbital diagram 1H 1s1
From the electronic configuration, we can write the electron dot symbol or Lewis symbol of the atom. The electron dot symbol is composed of the symbol of the element surrounded by dots which represents the outer shell electrons. The outer shell is called the valence shell and the electron in this shell is called the valence electrons. From the above example; for Oxygen – 1s2 2s2 2p4, the second principal energy level is the valence shell; and the valence electrons is 6; so the electron dot or Lewis symbol is
