GRADE 10 – ATOMIC STRUCTURE

• Define atomic number as the number of protons in a nucleus of an element

• Define atomic mass number as the number of nucleons there are in the nucleus
• Define isotopes as atoms of the same element with the same number of protons but
different number of neutrons.
• Determine the average atomic mass of isotope as well as the percent abundance of two
isotopes
• Know the electronic arrangement of an atom using the Aufbau diagram
• Know the electronic configuration or sp notation of the electrons in an atom
• Know and apply Pauli’s Exclusion Principle which states that electrons of opposite spin
occupy the same orbital
• Know and apply Hund’s Rule which states that electrons enter orbitals singly before
pairing up
WHAT IS AN ATOM?
Atoms are very small particles which make up the elements. They are the basic building
blocks of all matter. Three fundamental types of subatomic particles are found inside the
atom: protons, electrons and neutrons.
THE ATOMIC MASS UNIT (1 A.M.U.)
Subatomic particles have very little mass, so we compare their masses in small units known
as atomic mass units (a.m.u.).
1 a.m.u. = 1,66×10-27 kg
1 a.m.u. is one twelfth of the mass of a carbon-12 atom. Carbon-12 atoms are used as the
standard mass against which the masses of all other elements are compared.
STRUCTURE OF THE ATOM
The atom consists of:
- Central nucleus containing positively charged protons and neutral neutrons.
- Number of energy shells containing negatively charged electrons.
The nucleus
The nucleus contains all the positive charge and almost all the mass of the atom. Protons
and neutrons each have a mass of about 1 a.m.u. so they contribute to most of the mass to
the atom. Neutrons are neutral particles; thus, the protons contribute the positive charge to
the nucleus.
The protons and neutrons in the nucleus are collectively known as nucleons. They are held
together in a tight bundle by the strong nuclear force. This force acts over very short
distances and it is the strongest force in the whole universe that scientists have investigated
to date. It is such a strong binding force that it overcomes the electrostatic forces of repulsion
that the positively charged protons exert on each other.
It takes an enormous amount of energy to split a nucleus apart or to fuse other particles to
increase the nuclear size. This is one of the reasons why splitting the nucleus of an atom
releases such vast amounts of energy e.g., in nuclear power stations or in nuclear weapons.
Page 1 of 11
These nuclear reactions cannot be carried out under normal conditions in a laboratory. The
chemical reactions we observe cause changes in the arrangement of electrons in atoms or
molecules.
The atomic number (Z) of an atom
The number of protons in the nucleus is called the atomic number (Z). In a neutral atom, the
number of protons is equal to the number of electrons. The elements are arranged on the
Periodic Table in order of increasing atomic number.
Each element has its unique properties because it has a unique number of protons in its
nucleus.
The atomic mass number (A) of an atom
The atomic mass number (A) tells us how many nucleons there are in the nucleus. Hence,
the number of protons and neutrons is called the atomic mass number (A).
Hydrogen has a mass number of 1; thus, there is only one nucleon in hydrogen atom and
since the atomic number of hydrogen is 1, there is only one proton in a hydrogen atom.
Thus, the following can be deduced:
Number of neutrons = atomic mass number – number of protons
N=A–Z
It is also useful to note that A is always bigger than Z because:
A=Z+N
Where:
A = Atomic mass number
Z = atomic number
N = number of neutrons
Example
Element Symbol A Z N
Atomic mass number Atomic number Number of neutrons
Sodium Na 23 11 12
Sulfur S 28 14 14

Finding A and Z on the Periodic Table

The atomic number Z is given in the top left-hand side of the element’s symbol. The relative
atomic mass A is given below the element’s symbol.

Page 2 of 11
Worksheet 1
Refer to the Periodic Table. Calculate and fill the missing information.
Element Symbol A Z N
Atomic mass Atomic number Number of
number neutrons
Lithium Li 7 3

Boron 10

Chlorine 35,5

Fluorine 9 9

Magnesium 24

ISOTOPES OF ELEMENTS
All atoms in an element have the same number of protons. It is the protons that give these
atoms the particular properties of the element.
Some atoms of an element have a different number of neutrons, so some of these atoms
are a little heavier or lighter than most. We call these atoms with a different number of
neutrons isotopes of the element.
Nuclear notation gives the atomic mass number A on the top left-hand side and the atomic
number Z at the bottom left-hand side of the element’s symbol, as shown here for hydrogen’s
isotopes. Hydrogen has three isotopes.
• The first and most common isotope has one proton and no 1
1H hydrogen
neutrons.
• The next isotope has one proton and one neutron, so it has an 2
atomic number of 1 and atomic mass number of 2. Because this 1D Deuterium
isotope is used extensively in nuclear power stations to cool the
reactor it has its own name and chemical symbol. Deuterium is 3
1T Tritium
heavy hydrogen and has the symbol D.
• The third isotope of hydrogen is tritium with 1 proton and 2
neutrons. Its symbol is T.

Page 3 of 11
RELATIVE ATOMIC MASS
The relative atomic mass is the mass of the element compared to the mass of a carbon-12
atom. Carbon’s most abundant isotope has an atomic mass of 12; it has 6 protons and 6
neutrons. The mass of carbon-12 is 12 a.m.u. Relative atomic mass has no units because
it is a measure of how much mass an atom has in relation to the mass of carbon-12 atoms.
The relative atomic mass of chlorine is 35,5. This tells us that the average mass of chlorine
atoms is 35,5 a.m.u. on a scale where carbon-12 isotope has a mass of 12 a.m.u.
Chlorine has two main naturally occurring isotopes – chlorine-35 and chlorine-37. The
average mass of chlorine found as an element in nature is 35,5 because there are more
chlorine-35 atoms in nature than there are chlorine-37 atoms.
Example
The percent abundance of chlorine-35 is 77,5 % and of chlorine-37 is 22,5 %. Calculate the
relative atomic mass of chlorine.

WORKSHEET 2
1. Complete the missing values in the table below.

Nuclear notation Element Number of Number of Number of

protons neutrons nucleons
3
2He

235
92U

29
15P

56
26Fe

19
10Ne

2. Explain why isotopes of an element have similar chemical properties.

Page 4 of 11
3. Complete the table below and write the nuclear notation for the isotopes.

Number of Number of Number of

Nuclear notation Element
protons neutrons nucleons

Boron 7

Nitrogen 15

Silver 61

Potassium 39

ELECTRON CONFIGURATION

Diagram of the electronic The arrangement of electrons in an

configuration of a nitrogen atom atom is known as its electron
configuration. Electrons occupy
specific energy levels in an atom, so we
say that the energy of electrons in an
atom is quantised.
nucleus 1st energy level The energy of electrons is limited to
certain specific values related to their
positions in the atom.
2nd energy level The higher energy levels are further
away from the nucleus. Electrons can
move to a higher energy level by
absorbing a specific amount of
energy, and they can drop back to their
lower levels by releasing the same specific energy.
Line spectra from gas discharge tubes
Evidence that energy is only absorbed or released in specific amounts by the electrons in
atoms is given by characteristic colours from low pressure gases glowing in discharge tubes.
• The light shows only a few particular colours.
• Colour is associated with particular amount of energy.
• Thus, electrons absorb any quantity of energy when they move to higher energy levels,
they radiate this energy in a continuous spectrum when they drop back to their original
energy levels.
The line spectrum of hydrogen atoms shows only a few different colours of light in
comparison to sodium, and helium.
Thus, energy is restricted to certain amounts in atoms. Energy of electrons in atoms is
quantised.

Page 5 of 11
Energy levels in atoms
• 1st energy level: closest to the nucleus contain maximum of 2 electrons and have the
lowest energy.
• 2nd energy level: contain maximum of 8 electrons and have more energy than those in
first energy level.
• 3rd energy level: contain maximum of 18 electrons.
• 4th energy level: contain maximum of 32 electrons.
Maximum number of electrons = 2n2 where n = number of energy level

The Aufbau Principle

Aufbau = German word for “building up”. Build up a picture of the position of electrons in an
atom by drawing energy level diagrams.
Electrons are found in orbitals which each hold a maximum of two electrons.

One of the electrons spin clockwise on its axis and the other one spins anti-clockwise.
Electrons of opposite spin exert a small attractive force on each other due to magnetic field
that is generated by them spinning.
This is known as Pauli’s Exclusion Principle → electrons of opposite spin occupy the same
orbital.
1st energy level
Electrons fill lowest energy level first. These electrons are found anywhere within a sphere
orbiting around the nucleus.
→ One orbital which we call 1s orbital which has a spherical shape.
2nd energy level
Maximum number of 8 electrons in the 2nd energy level.
→ Two electrons are found in the 2s orbital, and the next six electrons occupy the three 2p
orbitals.
The p orbitals are shaped as two lobes as a 3D figure 8. The three p orbitals are directed at
right angles to one another.
The 2s orbital has a slightly lower energy than the 2p orbitals thus, electrons first fill the s
orbitals. The p orbitals are filled singly first, as this allows the electrons to enter each orbital
at a lower energy. Pairing up takes place once all three p orbitals have an electron in them.
Page 6 of 11
Hund’s Rule: electrons enter orbitals singly before pairing up.

3rd energy level

Maximum number of 18 electrons.
→ These electrons occupy one 3s orbital, three 3p orbitals and five 3d orbitals.
The five 3d orbitals have a slightly higher energy than the 4s orbitals, so the 3d orbitals are
only filled after the 4s orbitals.

4th energy level

Total number of 32 electrons in s, p, d, and f orbitals. For our purposes we shall only deal
with the first two electrons in the 4th energy level.

The energy level diagram of sodium

4s

3p
Increasing 3s
energy
2p

2s

1s

Describing electronic configuration of the electrons in an atom

Sodium has an atomic number of 11 thus 11 protons and 11 electrons.
The electronic configuration:
1s22s22p63s1
This shows that electrons are found in three energy levels with two electrons in energy level
1, the next 8 in energy level 2 and one in energy level 3.

Page 7 of 11
 Valence and core electrons
The outermost shell or energy
Diagram of the electronic
level of an atom is called the
configuration of a nitrogen atom
valence shell. The electrons of
the atom located in the
outermost shell of the atom are
called the valence electrons.
These electrons determine how nucleus core electrons
the atom will behave in chemical
reactions. Valence electrons can
be transferred from one atom to valence shell
another or shared between two
atoms as a result of chemical
reactions.
2+3 = 5 valence electrons
The remainder of the electrons
in an atom are known as the
core electrons. Core electrons 1s22s22p3
remain attached to the atom
during chemical reactions. It will valence shell
take an enormous amount of
energy to remove core electrons
from an atom.

WORKSHEET 3
1. Draw energy level diagrams and write the electronic configuration of atoms/ions of the
following elements:
1.1 lithium 1.2 potassium 1.3 calcium ion

Page 8 of 11
1.4 fluorine 1.5 chlorine 1.6 oxygen ion

1.7 neon 1.8 aluminium ion 1.9 magnesium ion

2. What is similar about the electronic configuration of:

2.1 lithium, sodium and potassium?

2.2 fluorine and chlorine?

3. How many electrons are there in the valence shell of:

3.1 oxygen atoms?

3.2 neon atoms?

3.3 argon atoms?

Page 9 of 11
4. How many electrons are there in the outermost energy level of oxygen atom?

5. How many more electrons has neon in its outermost energy level than oxygen?

EXAM QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1

1.1 Give the name used to describe all particles found in nucleus. (1)
1.2 Why is the composition of the nucleus not affected during chemical
reactions? (2)
1.3 Complete the following table for the following elements and ions. Write down
ONLY the question number (1.3.1 – 1.3.4) and the answer in the answer
sheet.
ELEMENT NUMBER OF NUMBER OF NUMBER OF
PROTONS ELECTRONS NEUTRONS
14N3- 7 15 1.3.1
23Na 11 1.3.2 12
36Cℓ 17 17 1.3.3
52Cr7+ 24 1.3.4 28
(4)
1.4 Explain why isotopes have the same chemical properties. (2)
1.5 Boron has two isotopes, 80,1% of B-11 and B-10. Calculate the relative
atomic mass of Boron. (3)
1.6 How does electrons move to a lower energy level in an atom? (1)
1.7 Draw the energy level diagram of the nitrogen atom. (3)
1.8 Write down the electron configuration for the potassium ion. (2)
1.9 Explain the similarity of the electron configuration between potassium ion and
argon atom. (1)
1.10 Write down the number of valence electrons of silicon. (1)
[20]

Page 10 of 11
QUESTION 2

2.1 A certain element, X, has two isotopes in nature. One isotope has a relative
atomic mass of 106,9. The percentage abundance of this isotope is 50%. The
relative atomic mass of the other isotope is 109,1.
2.1.1 Explain the term isotope. (2)
2.1.2 Calculate the relative atomic mass of element X. (3)
2.1.3 Identify element X is QUESTION 2.1.2. (1)

2.2 Write down the number of valence electrons in a nitrogen atom. (1)
2.3 Draw the Aufbau diagram for an oxygen ion. (3)
[10]

QUESTION 3

3.1 In nature, magnesium has the following common isotopes.

ISOTOPES MOLAR MASS ABUNDANCE (%)

24Mg 23,985 78,70

25Mg 24,959 10,13

26Mg 25,983 x

3.1.1 Calculate the isotopic abundance of 26Mg. (1)

3.1.2 Calculate the relative atomic mass of Mg. (3)

3.2 Write down the electron configuration (sp notation) for the phosphide ion. (2)
3.3 What is the name given to group 17 elements? (1)

[7]

Page 11 of 11