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Isotopes: The Electronic Structure of The Atom

The document discusses the electronic structure of atoms. It explains that atoms are composed of particles including protons, electrons, and neutrons. Atoms of the same element have the same number of protons and electrons, but can vary in the number of neutrons, forming isotopes. Electrons orbit the nucleus in energy levels called electron shells. Atoms become ions if they gain or lose electrons, resulting in a positive or negative charge as cations or anions respectively. Ions form as a way for atoms to achieve a full outer electron shell.

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Akisha Elamparo
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26 views2 pages

Isotopes: The Electronic Structure of The Atom

The document discusses the electronic structure of atoms. It explains that atoms are composed of particles including protons, electrons, and neutrons. Atoms of the same element have the same number of protons and electrons, but can vary in the number of neutrons, forming isotopes. Electrons orbit the nucleus in energy levels called electron shells. Atoms become ions if they gain or lose electrons, resulting in a positive or negative charge as cations or anions respectively. Ions form as a way for atoms to achieve a full outer electron shell.

Uploaded by

Akisha Elamparo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE OF THE ATOM

Before the beginning of the 20th century, it was believed that the atom was the smallest particle that
could exist. After 1897, smaller particles were identified (Barrio Gómez de Agü ero, 2012). As you saw in
the previous section, the atom is composed of particles that can have an electronic charge (positive or
negative), or be electrically neutral. These particles may also have mass, or be so light, for our purposes,
we can say they have no mass. A neutral atom has equal numbers of positive and negative particles, so
overall there is no charge..

ISOTOPES
The number of protons and electrons is always the same in all neutral atoms of a chemical element, but the
number of neutrons can vary. Atoms with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons
are called isotopes.
For example: Carbon has 3 different naturally occurring isotopes:
ELECTRON SHELLS
Electrons in atoms orbit in energy levels, also called electron shells, around the nucleus. The shells can only
hold a certain number of electrons. The electrons in an atom occupy the lowest available energy level first.
This is the shell nearest the nucleus. When this shell is full the electrons begin to occupy the next shell.

The table below shows the maximum number of electrons an element can have for each of its energy level
shells.

IONS

Atoms have the same number of protons and electrons, and therefore are electrically neutral. However, if an
atom loses or gainselectrons, the overall charge will change and will be unbalanced..

If the charge is not neutral, the atom has become an ion.


A positive ion is called a cation, and a negative ion is known as an anion.

Atoms form ions as a way to get a full outer shell of electrons. All atoms "want" to have a full outer shell
to be like the Nobel gasses.. To do this they will either fill a nearly full shell or empty a shell that has only
a few electrons in it. Whichever involves moving the least number of electrons.

For example sodium (Na) has 1 electron in its outer shell. It could try and get 7 more electrons to fill the
shell but it is easier to lose 1 electron and have the full 2nd shell become the outer shell.

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