Atomic structure

Cards (66)

  • Electron shells are regions where electrons can be found, with different energies associated with them.
  • Subshells have specific shapes that determine how many orbitals they contain.
  • When an atom gains or loses electrons, it becomes charged.
  • Orbitals are the actual paths followed by electrons around the nucleus.
  • The fourth electron shell has four subshells (s, p, d, f) and can hold up to thirty-two electrons per subshell.
  • The third electron shell has three subshells (s, p, d) and can hold up to eighteen electrons per subshell.
  • The first electron shell has one s subshell and can hold up to two electrons.
  • The second electron shell has two subshells (s, p) and can hold up to eight electrons per subshell.
  • Ionic compounds consist of positively charged metal cations and negatively charged nonmetal anions held together by electrostatic attraction.
  • Covalent bonds form when atoms share pairs of electrons to complete their outermost energy levels.
  • Electron configurations show where all the electrons go in an atom's energy levels.
  • Ionization energy is the amount of energy required to remove an electron from an atom.
  • Metallic bonding occurs due to the sharing of valence electrons among all the positive ions in a metallic lattice.
  • Atoms with full valence shells are stable and do not readily react chemically.
  • Valence electrons are those that participate in chemical reactions.
  • Hydrogen is unique because it forms both ionic and covalent bonds depending on its chemical environment.
  • Metals are good conductors of heat and electricity due to the delocalized nature of their valence electrons.
  • Atoms with low ionization energies are more likely to lose electrons than gain them.
  • Nonmetals have high ionization energies because it takes a lot of energy to pull off their valence electrons.
  • Metals have low ionization energies because they easily give away electrons to become positive ions.
  • Elements are abbreviated in scientific shorthand.
  • All symbols on the periodic table are short or abbreviated ways to write the name of an element.
  • Some symbols on the periodic table are from the element’s name (H, He, B, Be, I, F, Br, etc.).
  • Some symbols on the periodic table are from the old Greek or Latin name (silver is Ag for Argentum).
  • Some elements on the periodic table are named after some scientists (Es for Einsteinium, Lr for Lawrencium).
  • An atom is the smallest piece of matter that still has the properties of the element.
  • Atoms are made up of subatomic particles: protons, neutrons and electrons.
  • Protons are located in the nucleus of atoms and have an electric charge of +1.
  • Neutrons are located in the nucleus of atoms and do not have an electric charge, making them electrically neutral.
  • Electrons are located in electron clouds, called orbitals, and have an electric charge of -1.
  • The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom is its atomic number, which identifies which element you have.
  • The number of neutrons plus protons in an atom is its mass number.
  • In an atom, the number of protons equals the number of electrons.
  • Atoms that have lost or gained electrons are called ions.
  • The atomic weight or atomic mass is the average of the mass numbers of all of the isotopes of an element.
  • Isotopes are atoms of the same elements that have different numbers of neutrons.
  • Electrons occupy a certain energy level (of a certain size) and once the energy level is full, a new level begins.
  • Examples of isotopes include Oxygen-18 and Oxygen-16.
  • In writing electronic configuration, three rules/principles are followed namely; Aufbau principle, Hund’s rule and Pauli exclusion principle.
  • Average atomic mass is closest to its most abundant isotope.