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Structure of an Atom

Structure of an Atom. What Is an Atom?. Atoms are often referred to as the building blocks of matter. Each element on the periodic table is composed of one type of atom and cannot be broken down into a simpler substance. What Is an Atom?.

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Structure of an Atom

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  1. Structure of an Atom

  2. What Is an Atom? • Atoms are often referred to as the building blocks of matter. • Each element on the periodic table is composed of one type of atom and cannot be broken down into a simpler substance.

  3. What Is an Atom? • Atoms are composed ofsmaller subatomic particles such as the proton, neutron, and electron. • Atoms contain a nucleus surrounded by an electron cloud that consists of one or more energy levels.

  4. Inner Structure of an Atom • Nucleus- Small, dense, positively charged center of the atom which contains most of the atom’s mass

  5. Inner Structure of an Atom • The nucleus contains the following subatomic particles: • Protons - positively (+) charged particles • Neutrons- particles that have no charge (neutral), but contribute to the atom’s mass

  6. Outer Structure of an Atom • Electron cloud - an area around the nucleus where electrons are likely to be found orbiting the nucleus in several energy levels

  7. Outer Structure of an Atom • The electron cloud contains severalenergy levels • Electrons -negatively (-) charged particles located in specific energy levels surrounding the nucleus

  8. Outer Structure of an Atom • Multiple energy levels in the electron cloud completely surround the nucleus. • Electrons follow a specific order to fill the energy levels. Maximum of 2 electrons Maximum of 8 electrons Nucleus Maximum of 8 electrons* *Applies to the first 18 elements only

  9. Outer Structure of an Atom • The electrons in the outermost energy level are called valence electrons • We will go into more detail about the importance of valence electrons in our next unit.

  10. Decoding Atom Informationfrom the Periodic Table Atomic Number 6 C Atom’s Symbol Atom’s Name Carbon 12.0 Atomic Mass

  11. Decoding Atom Informationfrom the Periodic Table Atomic number # of protons = # of electrons 6 C Carbon 12.0 Atomic mass = # of protons plus the # of neutrons

  12. Atom Characteristics • The number of protons in the nucleus is the atomic number of that atom. Protons are used to identify elements. • The atomic number represents the numberof protons (+) and is equal to the number of electrons (-).

  13. Atom Characteristics • The atomic mass is the mass of the protons plus the mass of the neutrons. • Atomic mass is recorded in the SI units: atomic mass units (amu). • Protons and neutrons each are given an amu of 1. • Electrons have a mass of nearly zero.

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