EASTERN SAMAR NATIONAL CHEMISTRY 1

COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL MODULE 3

ATOMS, MOLECULES AND IONS

ATOMIC STRUCTURE
 Democritus was one of the principal proponents of the theory on atomism. One of their propositions is
that objects are made up of tiny indivisible particles called atomos which later becomes atom. However,
the idea was rejected by Aristotle who believes that matter is continuous.
 A thousand years later, the idea of atom was revived by John Dalton. In 1808, he proposes the Atomic
Theory. Below is the postulation of Dalton’s Theory and its modern re-evaluation.

Dalton’s Postulates Modern Re-evaluation

All matter is composed of atoms, which are the The atom is the smallest unit that retains the
tiny indivisible particles that cannot be created unique identity of the element
nor destroyed
Atoms of one element cannot be converted into Elements can only be converted into other
atoms of another element in a chemical reaction. elements through nuclear reactions
All atoms of an element are alike but are different Atoms can have the same number of protons
from atoms of any other element but different numbers of neutrons. These are
known isotopes.
Compounds are formed by the chemical Source: Silberberg, M. (2006) Chemistry 4/e
combination of two or more elements in specific
ratios
 Dalton’s postulate and the mass laws:
o Mass conservation: atoms cannot be created nor destroyed (postulate 1) or converted into
other types of atoms (postulate 2). Since each atoms has fixed mass (postulate 3), a chemical
reaction, in which atoms are just combined differently with each other, cannot possibly result in
a mass change.
o Definite composition: a compound is a combination of a specific ratio of different atoms
(postulate 4), each of which has a particular mass (postulate 3). Thus, each element in a
compound constitutes a fixed fraction of the total mass.
o Multiple proportions: atoms of an element have the same mass (postulate 3) and are indivisible
(postulate 1). Because different numbers of B atoms combine with A atom in different
compounds, the masses of element B that combine with a fixed mass of element A give a small,
whole-number ratio.
 Experiments done by J.J Thomson (1987), E. Rutherford (1911), and J. Chadwick (1932) proved that atom
consists of subatomic particles namely: electron, proton, and neutrons.

Task 1. Create a Chronological chart on the development of the Atomic theory and Nuclear model of an atom.

 The atom is an electrically neutral, spherical entity composed of a positively charged nucleus surrounded
by one or more negatively charged electrons. The nucleus consists of protons and neutrons.
 A table below shows the property of the three key subatomic particles of an atom:

Charge Mass Location

Name Symbol
Relative Absolute ( C ) Relative (amu) Absolute (g)
Proton p+ +1 +1.620218 x 10-19 1.00727 1.67262 x 10-24 Nucleus
Neutron n0 0 0 1.00866 1.67493 x 10-24 Nucleus
Outside
Electron e- -1 +1.60218 x 10-19 0.00054858 9.10939 x 10-28
Nucleus

COMPOUNDS
The majority of elements occur in chemical combination with other elements. In fact, only the following
elements exists free in nature – the noble gases, occurs in air as separate atoms. It is electrons from the atoms
of interacting elements that are involved in compound formation. Elements combine in two general ways:
1. Transferring electrons from the atoms of one element to those of another to form ionic compounds.
2. Sharing electrons between atoms of different elements to form covalent compounds.
These processes generate chemical bonds, the forces that hold the atoms of electrons together in a
compound.

Module 3 for Chemistry 1 Rassel C. Santos – Chem1 Teacher

 EASTERN SAMAR NATIONAL CHEMISTRY 1
COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL MODULE 3

FORMATION OF IONIC COMPOUNDS

Ions – charged particles that form when an atom gains or loses one or more electrons.
 Binary ionic compound
o Composed of just two elements
o Typically forms when a metal reacts with a nonmetal
o Each metal atom that loses a certain number of its electrons becomes a cation, a positively
charged ion.
o A nonmetal atom gaining electrons lost by the metal atom becomes an anion.
 A cation or anion derived from a single atom is called a monoatomic ion
o All binary ionic compounds are solids.
o Ionic compounds are neutral in nature; that is, it has no net charge.
 Polyatomic ions
o Consists of two or more atoms bonded covalently
o Have a net positive or negative charge
FORMATION OF COVALENT COMPOUNDS
Covalent compounds form when elements share electrons, which usually occur between nonmetals.
When an optimum distance between the nuclei of two atoms is reached, a covalent bond is formed.

IONIC COMPOUND COVALENT COMPOUND

Molecules does not exist Consist of molecules
Continuous array of oppositely charged particles Weak bonding between molecules
Mutual attraction between positive and negative ions Mutual attraction between two nuclei and the
electrons that resides between them.
Has no net charge Has an either net charge of positive or negative

CHEMICAL FORMULAS
 A representation of element symbols and numerical subscripts of each atom in the smallest unit of the
substance.
o Empirical formula – relative number of atoms of each element in the compound
 The simplest form or type of formula
 Derived from the masses of the component elements
 Example: H2O2 has an empirical formula of HO, meaning there is 1 part by mass of
hydrogen for every 16 part by mass of oxygen (1 H : 1 O; 1g H : 16g O)
o Molecular Formula – shows actual number of atoms of each element in a molecule of the
compound
 Example: hydrogen peroxide has a molecular formula of H 2O2; there are two hydrogen
(H) atoms and two oxygen (O) atoms in each molecule.
o Structural Formula – shows the number of atoms and the bonds between each atom
 Shows the relative placement and connections of atoms in the molecule
 Example: the structural formula of hydrogen peroxide is H – O – O – H; each H is bonded
to an O atom, and the two O’s are bonded to each other.
MOLECULAR NOMENCLATURE
Formulas are named depending on the composite element or atoms in it. Here are some points to note
about ion formulas:
 Members of the periodic table group have the same ionic charge; for example, Li, Na, and K are all in
Group 1A and all have 1+ charge
 For A-group ions, ion charge = group number: for example, Na+ is in Group 1A, Ba2+ is in Group 2A.
(Note: Sn2+ and Pb2+ is an exemption to this rule.)
 For anions, ion charge = group number minus 8: for example, S is in Group 6A (6 – 8 = -2), so the ion
is S2-.
Compounds Formed from Monoatomic Ions
 The name of the cation is the same as the name of the metal.
 The name of the anion takes the root of the nonmetal name and adds the suffix –ide.
 Example: Chlorine has symbol, Cl, the ion form is chloride
Compounds with Metals that can form More than One Ions
 The suffix –ous for the ion with lower charge.

Module 3 for Chemistry 1 Rassel C. Santos – Chem1 Teacher

 EASTERN SAMAR NATIONAL CHEMISTRY 1
COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL MODULE 3

 The suffix –ic from the ion with the higher charge.
 Example: Fe2+ and Fe 3+ has ionic form as iron (II) and iron (III), respectively.
Compounds Formed from Polyatomic Ions
 Polyatomic ions stays together as a charged unit
 When two or more of the same polyatomic ion are present in the formula unit, that ion appears in
parenthesis with the subscript written outside.
Families of Oxanions
 The ion with more O atoms takes the nonmetal root and the suffix – ate.
 The ion with fewer O atoms takes the nonmetal root and the suffix –ite.
BINARY COMPOUNDS:
 made up of two elements
o Ionic compounds – made up of a cation and an anion. They are named by giving the name of
the cation first, followed by the name of the anion.
 Example: FeS – iron (II) sulfide; NaCl – sodium chloride
o Molecular compounds – made up of two non-metals. They are named by giving the name of the
first nonmetal and then that of the second nonmetal modified by the ending ide. Molecular
compounds are usually gases.
 Example: HCl – hydrogen chloride; CO2 – carbon dioxide
TERNARY COMPOUNDS:
 Ternary compounds – made up of three elements. The naming of ternary compounds follows the same
rule as that of the binary ionic compound: the name of the cation is given first, followed by the name of
the anion.
o Example: NaNO3 – sodium nitrate; BaCrO4 – barium chromate
ACIDS:
 Acids – yield hydrogen ions in aqueous solutions.
o Binary acids – composed of hydrogen and another element, usually a nonmetal. The first part of
the name starts with the prefix hydro- followed by the name of the element, modified by the
ending –ic. The second part consists of the word ‘acid’. Name = hydro- (root name of element)
-ic + acid.
 Example: HCl – hydrochloric acid; H2S – hydrosulfic acid
o Ternary acids – made up of hydrogen and an anion, usually containing oxygen. The first part of
the name consists of the root word of the name of the element, modified by the ending –ic. The
second part consists of the word ‘acid’. If there is another acid with the same atoms, the suffix –
ous is used to denote the one with less number of atoms. Name = (root name of element) -ic (or
–ous) + acid.
 Example: H2SO4 – sulfuric acid; H2SO3 – sulfurous acid
References:
 Patalinghug, Wyona C. Ph.D., Camacho, Vic Marie I. Ph.D., Sevilla, Fortunato C. III Ph.D., Singson, Maria
Cristina D. General Chemistry 1: Teaching Guide for Senior High School. CHED: K to 12 Transition Program
Management Unit and Philippine Normal University. 2017
 Physical Science: A Reviewer for the Licensure Examination for Teachers. Taft Avenue, Manila. PNU
University Press. 2011
 Silberberg, Martin S. Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change. 4th edition. New York.
McGraw-Hill Publishing. 2006.

Module 3 for Chemistry 1 Rassel C. Santos – Chem1 Teacher