There are about 100 different types of atom found naturally on Earth
Element
A substance made up of only one type of atom
Chemical symbol
A symbol that represents an atom of an element
The elements in the periodic table are arranged in columns, called groups, with each group containing elements with similar chemical properties
Metals
Elements to the left of the 'staircase' line in the periodic table
Non-metals
Elements to the right of the 'staircase' line in the periodic table
Metalloids or semi-metals
Elements lying next to the dividing line between metals and non-metals, with some metallic and some non-metallic properties
Compound
A substance made up of different types of atom bonded together
The chemical formula of a compound shows the ratio of atoms of each element present
Chemical bond
A force that holds atoms tightly together in a compound
Atoms are made up of a tiny central nucleus with electrons orbiting around it
Chemical equation
A representation of a chemical reaction showing the reactants and products
In a chemical reaction, the atoms get rearranged but the total mass of the products is equal to the total mass of the reactants (Law of conservation of mass)
Adding state symbols (s, l, g, aq) to a balanced chemical equation provides extra information about the physical states of the substances
Mixture
A combination of two or more substances that are not chemically combined
Mixture
No fixed composition, proportions vary
Substances can be separated by physical means
Compound
Fixed composition, ratio of elements is always the same
Substances are chemically combined
Separation techniques for mixtures
1. Filtration
2. Crystallisation
3. Distillation
4. Chromatography
Filtration
Separating insoluble substances from soluble substances in a mixture
Crystallisation
Separating a soluble solid from a solvent by evaporating the solvent
Distillation
Separating a solvent from a mixture by evaporating and condensing the solvent
Fractional distillation
Separating miscible liquids with different boiling points using a fractionating column
Paper chromatography
Separating and identifying substances in a mixture based on their relative solubility in a solvent
John Dalton proposed that substances are made up of atoms that are the fundamental building blocks of nature
J.J. Thomson discovered the electron, a tiny negatively charged particle within atoms
It was not until the early 1800s that the ideas about particles and atoms became linked to strong experimental evidence
John Dalton put forward his ideas about atoms from his experiments, he suggested that substances were made up of atoms that were like tiny, hard spheres
Dalton also suggested that each chemical element had its own atoms that differed from others in their mass
Dalton believed that these atoms could not be divided or split, and they were the fundamental building blocks of nature
In chemical reactions
Atoms re-arrange themselves and combine with other atoms in new ways
Dalton's ideas are still useful today for example, they help to visualise elements, compounds and molecules, as well as the models still used to describe the different arrangement and movement of particles in solids, liquids, and gases
At the end of the 1800s, a scientist called J.J. Thomson discovered the electron, a tiny, negatively charged particle that was found to have a mass about 2000 times smaller than the lightest atom
Thomson's experimental evidence for the existence of electrons
1. Applying high voltages to gases at low pressure
2. Observing the beams of particles that were attracted to a positive charge, showing they were negatively charged particles
3. Calling the tiny, negatively charged particles electrons
Thomson's experiments showed that Dalton's idea that atoms could not be divided had to be revised
Thomson's model for the atom
Negatively charged electrons embedded in a positive charge
Geiger and Marsden's students were doing an experiment with radioactive particles, firing dense, positively charged particles (called alpha particles) at the thinnest piece of gold foil they could make
Their results shocked them as the particles were repelled back towards their source, suggesting a new model for the atom
Rutherford's atomic model
The positive charge must be concentrated at a tiny spot in the centre of the atom (the nucleus), with electrons orbiting around this nucleus