Chapter NO 2: Atomic Structure

Introduction:

Q1. What are elements made up of?

A: Elements are made up of atoms.

Q2. Why do elements have different properties?

A: The difference in the properties of elements is due to the difference in the properties
of their constituent atoms.

Q3. What is the appearance difference between metals and non-metals?

A: Metals are mostly lustrous (shiny), while non-metals like sulphur and carbon appear
dull.

Q4. Give examples of heavy and light metals.

A: Iron is a heavy metal; aluminium and zinc are light metals.

Structure of Atom:

Q5. Who proposed the atomic theory in 1803?

A: John Dalton proposed the atomic theory in 1803.

Q6. What did John Dalton believe about atoms?

A: He believed atoms to be indivisible.

Q7. How much heavier is a proton compared to an electron?

A: A proton is 1836 times heavier than an electron.

Q8. What causes deflection in an electric field during the experiment?

A: The presence of charged particles, electrons deflect toward the positive plate, and
protons deflect toward the negative plate.

Discovery of Electron

Q9. Who discovered the electron and when?

A: J.J. Thomson discovered the electron in 1897..
Q10. What are cathode rays?
A: Cathode rays are rays emitted from the cathode that carry a negative charge.

Q11. How did Thomson prove that cathode rays are negatively charged?
A: The rays bent towards the positively charged plate and were deflected by a magnetic
field.

Discovery of Proton

Q12. Who and when discovered the proton?

A: E. Goldstein discovered the proton in 1886.

Q13. What experiment did Goldstein perform?

A: He used a gas-discharge tube with a perforated cathode and observed canal rays.

Q14. What are canal rays?

A: Positively charged rays (also called anode rays) that move from the anode to the
cathode.

Q15. What did Rutherford prove in 1917?

A: In 1917, Rutherford proved that the atom's nucleus contains positively charged
particles—protons.

Discovery of Neutron

Q16. Who and when discovered the neutron?

A: The neutron was discovered by James Chadwick in 1933.

Q17. What is the charge on a neutron?

A: A neutron carries no charge, meaning it is electrically neutral.

Q18. How does the mass of a neutron compare to that of a proton?

A: The mass of a neutron is almost the same as that of a proton.

Q19. Name the three fundamental particles present in all atoms.

A: The three fundamental particles present in atoms are the electron, proton, and
neutron.
Q20. Which element’s atom does not have a neutron?
A: The atom of protium, which is the most common isotope of hydrogen, does not
contain a neutron. It consists of only one proton and one electron.

Q21. Do all atoms have the same number of fundamental particles?

A: No, different atoms have different numbers of electrons, protons, and neutrons,
which is why they behave differently.

Discovery of Nucleus

Q22. Who discovered the nucleus of an atom?

A: The nucleus was discovered by Lord Rutherford in 1911.

Q23. What experiment did Rutherford perform to discover the nucleus?

A: Rutherford bombarded a thin gold foil with a stream of special particles (alpha
particles) to study the structure of the atom.

Q24. What conclusion did Rutherford draw from his experiment?

A: Rutherford concluded that an atom has a tiny central portion called nucleus and a
large area surrounding this called extra nuclear portion.

Q25. Where is most of the mass of an atom concentrated?

A: Most of the mass of an atom is concentrated in the nucleus.

Q26. Which particles are present in the nucleus?

A: The protons and neutrons are present in the nucleus.

Q27. What force holds the protons and neutrons together in the nucleus?
A: The strong nuclear force holds protons and neutrons together in the nucleus.

Bohr’s Atomic Model

Q28. What is Bohr’s Atomic Model?

A.It is a model of the atom proposed by Niels Bohr in which electrons revolve in fixed
circular orbits around the nucleus.

Q29. Who proposed Bohr’s atomic model and in which year?

A: Niels Bohr proposed Bohr’s atomic model in 1913.
Q30. What does Bohr’s model state about electron movement?
A: According to Bohr’s model, electrons revolve around the nucleus in fixed orbits or
shells with fixed energy. Electrons absorb and release energy when electrons jump from
one orbit to another

Q31. What is the ground state of an atom?

A: The ground state is the lowest energy state of an atom when the electron is closest to
the nucleus.

Q32. What are energy levels or shells?

A:The fixed circular path around the nucleus in which electrons revolve is called an
orbit..

Q33. What are the names of the first four shells?

A: The first four shells are named K, L, M, and N.

Q34. What are sub-shells?

A: Sub-shells or orbitals are divisions of shells; the number of sub-shells in a shell is equal
to the shell number (n).

Q35. What is the approximate size difference between cesium and helium atoms?
A: Cesium is approximately nine times bigger than helium.

Q36. What are the main postulates of Bohr’s Atomic Model?

A: (i) Electrons revolve in fixed orbits.

(ii) Energy is emitted or absorbed when electrons jump from one orbit to another.

Q37.What is the relation between energy and the distance of the orbit from the
nucleus?
A: The relation between energy and the distance is that farther the orbit from the
nucleus, the higher the energy level.

Atomic number and Mass number

Q38.What is the atomic number of an element?

A: The atomic number is the number of protons present in the atom of an element.
The atomic number is represented by the symbol Z.
Q39.What is the mass number of an atom?
A: The total number of protons and neutrons in an atom of an element is called the
mass number. The mass number is represented by the symbol A.

Q40.How can you calculate the number of neutrons in an atom?

A: By using the formula: N = A - Z, where N = number of neutrons, A = mass number, Z =
atomic number.

Q41.What is the atomic number and mass number of an oxygen atom?

A: Atomic number = 8, Mass number = 16

Q42.What is the number of neutrons in sulphur atom (₁₆³²S)?

A: Number of neutrons = 32 - 16=16.

Q43.How many neutrons are present in a barium atom (₅₆¹³⁷Ba)?

A: 137 - 56 = 81 neutrons

Q44.How to write the atomic number and mass number of an element?

A: Z is the atomic number (number of protons), written at the lower left of the element
symbol

A is the mass number (number of protons + neutrons), written at the upper left of the
element symbol.

Isotopes and their Masses

Q45. What are isotopes?

A: Isotopes are atoms of the same element having different numbers of neutrons are
called isotopes.

Q46. Do isotopes of an element have the same number of protons?

A: Yes, isotopes of an element have the same number of protons.

Q47.Why do the isotopes of an element show the same chemical properties while their
physical properties are different?

A:Isotopes of an element have the same chemical properties because they have the
same number of electrons. Their physical properties are different because they have
different masses due to a different number of neutrons.
Q48. Name the three isotopes of hydrogen.
A: Protium (¹H), Deuterium (²H), and Tritium (³H).

Q49, Which hydrogen isotope has no neutrons?

A: Protium (¹H) is the isotope of hydrogen that has no neutrons .

Q50. What is the number of neutrons in ¹²C, ¹³C, and ¹⁴C?

A: ¹²C has 6 neutrons, ¹³C has 7 neutrons, and ¹⁴C has 8 neutrons.

Q51. What is a radioactive isotope?

A: An isotope that emits radiation due to an unstable nucleus is called a radioactive
isotope.

Example:Tritium (³H) is a radioactive isotope.

Q52. Which hydrogen isotope is radioactive?

A: Tritium (³H) is a radioactive isotope.

Radioactive Isotopes

Q53.What is radioactivity?

A:Some isotopes of the same element have unstable nuclei. To become stable, they
emit excess energy in the form of radiation.This process is called radioactivity.

Q54.Define radioactive isotopes?

A:Some isotopes are unstable and emit radiation. These are called radioactive
isotopes. For example, Tritium (³H) is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, while the other
two (¹H and ²H) are stable.

Q55.What is radioactive decay?

A: It's the process by which a radioactive element emits radiation and transforms into another
element.

Q56: What isotope is used in diagnostic imaging?

A: Technetium-99m is used in diagnostic imaging .

Q57. What is radiocarbon dating and how does it work?

A: Radiocarbon dating is a technique used to determine the age of historical objects containing
organic material. It uses the radioactive isotope carbon-14. By measuring the amount of carbon-
14 remaining in a sample, scientists can estimate how long it has been since the organism died.
The older the sample, the less carbon-14 is present.
Q58: What radioactive isotope is used in radiocarbon dating?
A: Carbon-14 is used in radiocarbon dating.

Q59. How are radioactive isotopes used in the medical field?

A: Radioactive isotopes are widely used in medical imaging to diagnose and treat diseases.
Doctors inject a small amount of radioactive fluid, such as Technetium-99m, into the patient’s
body for imaging organs like the brain, lungs, and liver. Special cameras detect the radiation to
produce diagnostic images.

Q60. What is the use of Technetium-99m in medical imaging?

A:Technetium-99m is used to diagnose problems in organs like the brain,
lungs, and liver by tracking radioactive fluid in the body.

Q61. What are other applications of radioactive isotopes besides medicine?

A:They are used to test the strength of metals, in nuclear power
generation, oil exploration, and in treating cancer and thyroid disorders.

Ionization of Atoms by a Radioactive Source

Q62. What causes atoms to ionize in the presence of a radioactive source?

A: Radiation emitted from a radioactive source causes atoms to ionize by removing electrons.

Q63. What is ionization?

A: Ionization is the process of removing electrons from an atom to form ions.

Q64. What happens to a sodium atom when it is hit by ionizing radiation?

A: It loses an electron and becomes a positively charged ion (Na⁺).

Relative Atomic Mass

Q65. What is relative atomic mass?

A: The relative mass of an element is thus defined as the mass of an atom of that
element relative to the mass of the light isotope of carbon taken as 12.

Unit : Atomic mass unit (amu).

Q66. What is the value of 1 atomic mass unit (amu) in kilograms?

A: 1 amu = 1.67377 × 10⁻²⁷ kg.

Q67. Why was relative atomic mass important to chemists?

A: It helped them compare the masses of atoms and determine the correct ratios for
chemical reactions.
From Exercise;

Questions for Short Answers:

i Why is it said that almost all the mass of an atom is concentrated in its nucleus?
As almost all the mass of an atom is concentrated in the nucleus because both the
heavy particles, i.e, protons and neutrons found to be present here.

ii. Why are elements different from one another?

Elements differ due to the number of protons in their nuclei, known as the atomic
number. Each element has a unique atomic number.

iii. How many neutrons are present in 21083 Bi?

To find neutrons:
Neutrons = Mass number - Atomic number
= 210 - 83 = 127 neutrons

IV. Why is tritium a radioactive element?

Tritium is radioactive because it has an unstable nucleus with 1 proton and 2 neutrons,
and emits energy in the form of radiation which leads to beta decay over time.

v. How can an atom absorb and evolve energy?

Atoms absorb energy when electrons move to higher energy levels (orbitals). They
release (evolve) energy when electrons fall back to lower energy levels (orbit).

Constructed Response Questions:

i. Why does the energy of an electron increase as we move from the first shell to
the second shell?
As electrons move farther from the nucleus into higher energy levels (shells), they are
less tightly held by the nucleus. The second shell is further away than the first, so
electrons there have more potential energy. Hence, the energy increases with distance
from the nucleus.

ii. Why is it needed to lower the pressure of the gas inside the discharge tube?
Lowering the pressure in the discharge tube allows electrons to travel freely without
frequent collisions with gas particles. This makes it easier to observe the movement of
electrons and study the properties of cathode rays.
iii. What is the classical concept of an electron? How has this concept changed
with time?
The classical concept viewed the electron as a tiny, negatively charged particle orbiting
the nucleus like planets around the sun.
Modern quantum theory describes electrons as existing in cloud-like orbitals with
uncertain positions and energies, based on probability rather than fixed paths.

iv. Why are the nuclei of the radioactive elements unstable?

Radioactive nuclei are unstable due to an imbalance between the number of protons
and neutrons, leading to excess energy. This instability causes them to undergo
radioactive decay to reach a more stable state.

v. During discharge tube experiments, how did the scientists conclude that the
same type of electrons and protons are present in all the elements?
In discharge tube experiments, cathode rays (electrons) behaved the same regardless
of the gas or metal used in the tube. Similarly, positive rays (protons) also showed
consistent properties. This led scientists to conclude that electrons and protons are
universal subatomic particles found in all elements.

Descriptive Questions:

i. Explain the structure of a hydrogen atom.

A hydrogen atom is the simplest atom, consisting of one proton in the nucleus and one
electron revolving around it in the first energy shell. It has no neutrons (in its most
common isotope). The electron is held in orbit by the electrostatic attraction between the
negatively charged electron and the positively charged proton.

ii. How does the theory of atomic structure explain the ionization of atoms by a
radioactive isotope?
The atomic structure theory states that atoms consist of electrons arranged in shells
around the nucleus. When a radioactive isotope emits radiation (like alpha, beta, or
gamma particles), the high-energy particles can knock electrons out of other atoms.
This process removes one or more electrons, turning the neutral atom into a positively
charged ion is called ionization.

iii. What is radioactivity? Explain any three applications of radioactive isotopes.

Radioactivity is the spontaneous emission of energy from unstable atomic nuclei as
they decay to achieve stability.

Three Applications:

1. Medical Imaging: Technetium-99m is used to scan organs like the brain and
lungs.
2. Industrial Testing: Radioisotopes help assess the strength of metals and
concrete mixture.
3. Radiocarbon Dating: Carbon-14 decay is measured to determine the age of
organic materials.