Elements and Atoms - AP Chemistry

Isotopes are variations of an element that differ by the number of neutrons in the nucleus. Neutrons are neutrally charged, so adding or removing them from a nucleus does not alter the charge of the atom. The atomic number is the number of protons in an atom, and the mass number is the sum of both protons and neutrons in the nucleus. As a result, the mass number will change by adding a neutron.

The number of protons is equal to the atomic number of the element. Adding or subtracting protons will change the element's identity. Ions can be created by changing the number of electrons and isotopes can be created by changing the number neutrons, but changing the number of protons changes the element.

Ions are atoms that have gained or lost electrons. This results in an atom with a charge. Atoms with a neutral charge have an equal number of protons and electrons. Changing the electron number will result in a charge on the atom.

For example, adding an electron to chlorine creates a chlorine anion.

Carbon is an element with six protons (atomic number six), and most commonly has six neutrons. This brings the total mass of carbon to twelve atomic mass units (12amu). There are isotopes of carbon with seven or eight neutrons, which are radioactive. These isotopes correspond to carbon-13 and carbon-14. The true atomic mass of carbon on the periodic table is 12.011amu, accounting for small contributions by these heavier isotopes.

Carbon-6, cabron-7, carbon-8, and carbon-9 imply isotopes with zero, one, two, and three neutrons respectively. Though these isotopes could theoretically exist, they would be extremely unstable and do not occur in nature.

Two atoms are isoelectric if they each have the same number of electrons. In its ground state, bromine has 35 electrons, equal to the number of protons in order to have a neutral atom. In order to become a bromide ion, the bromine atom must gain one electron. This gives it a charge of negative one, but allows it to satisfy the octet rule, making it a very stable ion. With the ionization, the atom now has 36 electrons.

Krypton has atomic number 36, meaning that it will also have 36 electrons in its ground state.

Two atoms are isoelectric if they each have the same number of electrons. In its ground state, oxygen has 8 electrons, equal to the number of protons in order to have a neutral atom. In order to become a stable ion, the oxygen atom must gain two electrons. This gives it a charge of negative two, but allows it to satisfy the octet rule, making it a very stable ion. With the ionization, the atom now has 10 electrons.

Neon has atomic number 10, meaning that it will also have 10 electrons in its ground state.

Two atoms are isoelectric if they each have the same number of electrons. Ions of an element will vary in the number of electrons, but isotopes will vary in the number of neutrons only. In its ground state, fluorine has 9 electrons, equal to the number of protons in order to have a neutral atom. Any ground state isotopes of fluorine will also have 9 electrons, making them isoelectric.

Isoelectronic atoms are atoms or ions that contain the same number of total electrons. is not isoelectronic with the rest of the ions and atoms listed because it contains a total of ten electrons, while the rest in the series contain thirty-six.

Positively charged ions (cations) are formed when electrons are removed from the outer shell of the atom. Removing a negatively charged electron gives the ion a positive charge. For example, the element rubidium, , in its ground state contains thirty-seven electrons. The ion contains one less, thirty-six, making it isoelectronic with krypton and the other ions and atoms in the series.

Negatively charge ions (anions) are formed when electrons are added to the outer shell of the atom. Adding a negatively charged electron gives the ion a negative charge. For example, ground state selenium, , contains thirty-four electrons. The ion , has two added electrons giving it a total of thirty-six electrons. The ion is isoelectronic with the other ions and atoms in the series.

The general isotopic notation is as follows: , where is the mass number, which is equal to the number of neutrons plus protons, and is the atomic number, which is equal to the number of protons. We know that the atomic number determines the identity of an element, thus an atom with 19 protons must be potassium . Following the isotopic notation mentioned above, our mass number is 39.

The general isotopic notation is as follows: , where is the mass number, which is equal to the number of neutrons plus protons, and is the atomic number, which is equal to the number of protons. We know that the atomic number determines the identity of an element, thus an atom with a mass number of 197 and 118 neutrons must have 79 protons. Thus the element is gold .

The atomic number of aluminum is 13, which means it has 13 protons. All atoms with 13 protons are called aluminum. The mass number of aluminum is 27 and is the sum of neutrons and protons. We simply subtract the number of protons from the mass number to get the number of neutrons. Normally there are an equal number of electrons and protons. But since this aluminum exists as an ion with a +3 charge, it has lost three electrons and has only 10 electrons.

Chlorine-35 and chlorine-37 are isotopes of each other. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have different masses due to different numbers of neutrons.

We know that the element is iron and that it is missing two electrons. This means that the atom has two less electrons than it has protons resulting in a charge of 2+. This can be written as

If an ion is positively charged it is a cation. If it is negatively charged (more electrons than protons) it is an anion.

The ion is a cation since it has a charge of 2+.

Since atoms are neutral, the number of electrons must equal the number of protons (to balance the negative and positive charges). Thus the element with 17 electrons also has 17 protons. The number of protons is equal to the atomic number of the element. Use the periodic table to find the element with atomic number 17, chlorine. Note that ions are not neutral, thus they have unequal numbers of protons and electrons. Also, isotopes of the same element contain differing numbers of neutrons, which also affects the weight of the isotope.

Diatomic elements are commonly referred to as diatomic gases because whenever they are by themselves, they bond to themselves (that is where the "2" subscript comes from). Anytime diatomic elements have that "2" subscript, they have the gas (g) phase label. For example, .

The identity of an element is determined by the number of protons. One cannot alter the number of protons without altering the identity of the element. By adding a proton, the atomic number increases by one and the element identity changes.

Number of neutrons can be altered to create isotopes. Number of electrons can be altered to create ions.

An element is defined by its number of protons. Varying the number of neutrons will change the isotope of an element and varying the number of electrons will create an ion, but changing the number of protons changes the identity of the element itself. Nitrogen has atomic number seven, and is the only element that can have seven protons. The given configuration is for an isotope of nitrogen. Since there are eight neutrons, this atom would be for nitrogen-15.

Elements are shown on the periodic table. Compounds are made when one or more element is combined to form a molecule. The smallest unit of an element is an atom, while the smallest unit of a compound is a molecule.

Of the given answer choices, only satisfies the question criteria. This is the formula for a molecule of bromine gas, made of two bromine atoms.

is a sodium ion, representing one atom of sodium that has lost an electron to gain a positive charge. Though it contains only one element, it is not a molecule. is a single carbon atom, and also does not represent a molecule.

is the formula for hydrochloric acid and is the formula for water. Both of these compounds are composed of molecules, but hydrochloric acids contains both hydrogen and chlorine atoms, and water contains both hydrogen and oxygen.

Elements are defined by the number of protons in a given atom, and the atom is the smallest unit of an element. In contrast, a compound is defined by the identity and organization of multiple atoms, with the smallest unit of a compound being a molecule.

Some compounds do contain only one element, such as diatomic gases or graphite. Benzene rings are composed of carbon and hydrogen, while water molecules contain hydrogen and oxygen.

There are two properties that can be used to identify an element: the atomic number or the number of protons in an atom.

The number of neutrons and number of electrons are frequently equal to the number of protons, but can vary depending on the atom in question. Different ions and isotopes will alter the number of neutrons and electrons, making these properties unreliable identifiers. Similarly, atomic mass will vary with the number of neutrons present and cannot be used to establish atomic identity.

The symbol for potassium comes from the latin word for potassium, kalium. That is why the chemical symbol for potassium is .