ATOMICSTRUCTURE

General Science & Ability

By
Mian Shafiq

AtomicStructure

Allmatteriscomposedofatoms.
Understandingthestructureofatomsis
criticaltounderstandingthepropertiesof
matter

HISTORY OF THE ATOM

460 BC

Democritus develops the idea of atoms

He pounded up materials in his pestle and
mortar until he had reduced them to smaller
and smaller particles which he called

ATOMA
(greek for indivisible)

HISTORY OF THE ATOM

1808

John Dalton
He suggested that all matter was made up of
tiny spheres that were able to bounce around
with perfect elasticity and called them

ATOMS

The basic points of the Dalton theory are:

All substances are made up of tiny, indivisible particles

called atoms.
Atoms of the same element are identical in shape, size,

mass and other properties.

Each element is composed of its own kind of atoms.

Atoms of different elements are different in all respects.

Atom is the smallest unit that takes part in chemical

combinations.
Atoms combine with each other in simple whole number

ratios to form compound atoms called molecules.

Atoms cannot be created, divided or destroyed during

any chemical or physical change.

HISTORY OF THE ATOM

1898

Joseph John Thompson

He Discovered the negative particle which he
called an

ELECTRON

J. J Thomson, the discoverer of the electron

believed that the atom is a uniform sphere
of positive charge with electrons (raisins)

HISTORY OF THE ATOM

1904
Thompson develops the idea that an atom was made up of
electrons scattered unevenly within an elastic sphere surrounded
by a soup of positive charge to balance the electron's charge
like plums surrounded by pudding.

PLUM PUDDING
MODEL

HISTORY OF THE ATOM

1910

Ernest Rutherford
He fired Helium nuclei at a piece of gold foil
which was only a few atoms thick.
they found that although most of them
passed through. About 1 in 10,000 hit

HISTORY OF THE ATOM

They found that while most of the helium nuclei passed

through the foil, a small number were deflected and, to their
surprise, some helium nuclei bounced straight back.

ResultsoffoilexperimentifPlumPudding
modelhadbeencorrect.

ActualResults.

HISTORY OF THE ATOM

Rutherfords new evidence allowed him to propose a more
detailed model with a central nucleus.
He suggested that the positive charge was all in a central
nucleus. With this holding the electrons in place by electrical
attraction

However, this was not the end of the story.

There are two major drawbacks to the Rutherford models :

1. According to the electromagnetic theory, an accelerating
charged particle must emit radiation, and lose energy. Because of
this loss of energy, the electron would slow down, would follow a
spiral path, and ultimately fall into nucleus. If it happens then
the atom should collapse . But, we know this does not happen as
atoms are generally stable. This is one of the major drawback of
the Rutherford model.
2.Secondly, the Rutherfords model of atom does not say
anything about the arrangement of electrons in an atom.

HISTORY OF THE ATOM

1913

Niels Bohr
studied under Rutherford at the Victoria
University in Manchester.
Bohr refined Rutherford's idea by adding
that the electrons were in orbits. Rather
like planets orbiting the sun. With each
orbit only able to contain a set number of
electrons.

Bohrs Atom

HELIUM ATOM
Shell

proton

+
-

electron
What do these particles consist of?

neutron

ATOMIC STRUCTURE

ATOMIC STRUCTURE

Mass Number the number of protons and

neutrons in an atom

He
2

Atomic number

the number of protons in an atom

However number of electrons = number of protons

Why protons are considered for Atomic Number?

Isotopes are the atoms of the same

element having same atomic # but
different mass #.

Test Your Knowledge

Atomic # Mass #
6

12

ATOMIC STRUCTURE
Electrons are arranged in Energy Levels or
Shells around the nucleus of an atom.

first shell

a maximum of 2 electrons

second shell

a maximum of 8 electrons

third shell

a maximum of 18 electrons

MULTIELECTRONATOMS

ATOMIC STRUCTURE
There are two ways to represent the atomic
structure of an element or compound;

1.

2.

Electronic Configuration

Dot & Cross Diagrams

ELECTRONIC CONFIGURATION
With electronic configuration elements are represented
numerically by the number of electrons in their shells
and number of shells. For example;

Nitrogen
2 in 1st shell
5 in 2

nd

shell

configuration = 2 , 5
2

5 = 7

14

ELECTRONIC CONFIGURATION
Write the electronic configuration for the following
elements;
23

40

a)

Ca

b)

20

2,8,8,2
35

d)

Cl

17

???

Na

11

16

c)

2,8,1
e)

28

Si

14

???

2,6
11

f)

???

DOT & CROSS DIAGRAMS

With Dot & Cross diagrams elements and compounds
are represented by Dots or Crosses to show electrons,
and circles to show the shells. For example;
X

Nitrogen

14

X X

XX

X X

DOT & CROSS DIAGRAMS

Draw the Dot & Cross diagrams for the following
elements;
X
35
16
X
a) O
b)
Cl
X
8
17
X
X
X
X
X
X
X X X Cl X X
X
X
X
O
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

SUMMARY
1. The Atomic Number of an atom = number of
protons in the nucleus.
2. The Mass number of an atom = number of
Protons + Neutrons in the nucleus.
3.

The number of Protons = Number of Electrons.

4.

Electrons orbit the nucleus in shells.

5.

Each shell can only carry a set number of electrons.

Thanks