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Atoms, Ions, and Isotopes

Quick Review
Atoms are made up of three particles:
Protons
Neutrons
Electrons

Question: Which of the three particles


identifies what element an atom is?
The PROTON! (very important)

Why are electrons important?


1) Elements have different electron
configurations
different electron configurations mean different
levels of bonding
When two or more atoms come together it creates
a new substance called a COMPOUND.
This just means that the way compounds are
formed depends on how many valence electrons
an atom has

electron shells
a) To find out how many electrons an atom
has remember APE MAN
a) Atomic # = # of Protons = # of Electrons
b) Electrons vary in the amount of energy
they possess, and they occur at certain
energy levels or electron shells.

c) Electron shells determine how an atom


behaves when it encounters other atoms

Electrons are placed in shells


according to rules:
The 1st shell can hold up to two electrons,
and the 2nd shell thereafter can hold up to 8
electrons. The third shell can hold up to18
electrons.

Remember

18

the electrons of an atom that can participate


in the formation of chemical bonds with
other atoms
THESE ARE THE OUTERMOST
ELECTRONS IN THE ATOM!!!

Determining # of Valence
Electrons
The number of valence electrons of an element is
determined by its periodic table group (vertical
column). The number within the unit's place
identifies how many valence electrons are present
in each group.

You can think of the A standing for the number of


electrons (Valence) who are Away or en la Afuera.

Lets Practice
Elements in Group 1 should have how
many valence electrons?
Elements in Group 18 should have how
many valence electrons?
What about Group 16???
Pretty Simple, huh?

Octet Rule = atoms tend to gain, lose or share electrons so


as to have 8 electrons in their outermost shell.

C would like to Gain 4 electrons


N would like to Gain 3 electrons
O would like to Gain 2 electrons

Different Forms of the Same


Element
In any element, the # of protons is always

constant.
Unlike the number of protons, the number
of electrons and neutrons can vary (or be
different) within an element without
changing the identity of the element.
Ex. Carbon (C) ALWAYS has 6 protons, but it

can have anywhere from 6-8 neutrons and 2-10


electrons

Isotopes
An ISOTOPE is a form of an element that
has a different number of neutrons than
normal
Carbon has three isotopes

Notice how the # of


protons does NOT
change!

Other Isotopes
Most atoms have naturally occurring

isotopes including:
Radon
Potassium
Uranium
When an element is radioactive it means
it has an unstable number of neutrons (an
unstable ISOTOPE)

IONS
An atom usually has a neutral charge. That
means it has the same number of protons as
electrons
Remember, a proton has a positive charge and an
electron has a negative charge

ION an atom that has lost or gained one


or more electrons and has become charged
either positively or negatively

Positive Ions
When an atom LOSES electrons, it
becomes more POSITIVE
Why?
If you are getting rid of negative particles
(electrons) but your number of positive
particles (protons) are staying the same, then
you are becoming more positive overall.

Examples
What would the charge be if:
The neutral form of Gold (Au) lost 4 of its

79 electrons. It now has 79 protons and 75


electrons
The neutral form of Mg lost 2 of its 12
electrons. It now has 12 protons and 10
electrons.

Negative Ions
When an atom GAINS electrons it becomes
more NEGATIVE
Why?
Electrons have a negative charge, so the
more you have, the more negative you
become

Representing Ions
Ions are represented by placing a

superscript charge number next to the


atomic symbol.
Ex.
O-2 = oxygen with a negative 2 charge
K+ = potassium with a positive 1 charge
N-3 = nitrogen with a negative 3 charge

Periodic Table
The elements, as they are found on the
periodic table, are neutral atoms and their
mass is an average of all isotopes
Remember the atomic mass is the average of ALL
isotopes, but when we round it for calculating the
number of neutrons, we always get the most
abundant isotope.

Examples
How many Ps, Ns, and Es does each of the
following have?

Label each as an isotope, ion, or stable/neutral.

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