Activity 2: Atom and Atomic Structure

The three elements I chose to make models of are Hydrogen, Neon, and Carbon. 

         
            Yellow – Electrons

            Green – Protons

            Blue – Neutrons

Hydrogen

Neon

Carbon

Atomic Number

         
            Hydrogen – 1

            Neon – 10

            Carbon – 6

Atomic Mass Number

         
            Hydrogen – 1.00794 amu

            Neon – 20.1797 amu

            Carbon – 12.0107 amu

Which subatomic particles are equal in number?

         
            Hydrogen

                        Protons – 1

                        Electrons – 1
                        Neutrons – 0

         
            Neon

                        Protons – 10

                        Electrons – 10

                        Neutrons – 10
         
            Carbon

                        Protons – 6

                        Electrons – 6

                        Neutrons – 6

How would you make an isotope for Hydrogen?  What would change (Image)?

         
            To make an isotope for Hydrogen, I would add two neutrons.  This would make the isotope Tritium.  In the image below you can see the three commonly known isotopes of Hydrogen.

What makes up most of the volume of an atom?

        
            The electron cloud makes up most of the volume of an atom.  Unlike the protons and neutrons, which are tightly packed together, electrons exist in in orbitals around the nucleus, which occupy most of the space.

What happens when energy excites an electron in Carbon (Image)?

         
            When energy excites an electron in Carbon (or any other element), the electron can “jump” to another energy level (which can be seen in the picture below).  This is known as the “excited state”.   

http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/biobookchem1.html

Once the electron is excited, what do we typically observe when the electron returns to the ground-state?

        
            Similar to the previous question, when an electron loses energy it emits a visible wavelength as its moves back down an energy level.  This is known as the “ground state”. 

Why are some elements different colors when they are excited?

         
            According to the document, “Spectroscopy: Element Identification and Emission Spectra”, “The light emitted has wavelengths and colors that depend on the amount of energy originally absorbed by the atoms. Usually each individual excited atom will emit one type of light. Since we have billions and billions of atoms we get billions of excitations and emissions” (Volland).  

http://www.800mainstreet.com/spect/emission-flame-exp.html

Elements used to make the different colors in fireworks…

         
            Sodium Salts – yellow

            Potassium – lavender

            Lithium – red

            Barium Compounds – green

            Copper Salts - blue

Overall organizational structure of the periodic table…

         
            The periodic table is organized in rows and columns.  The vertical columns are known as groups.  These groups have similar chemical properties.  Typically, a number followed with either A or B indicates a group.  The elements in group “A” signify a main group element, while the elements in group “B:” symbolize a transition element. 

The horizontal rows are known as periods.  The property of elements varies periodically across a period. 

Examples of…

Alkali Metals

            Lithium

            Sodium

Alkaline Earth

            Calcium
                  Magnesium

Halogens

            Fluorine

            Chlorine

Noble Gases

            Helium

            Argon

Transition Metals

            Iron

            Cobalt

Non-Metals

            Nitrogen

            Iodine

Metalloids

            Silicon

            Boron