INTRODUCTORY LECTURE OF CHEM 101
INTRODUCTION TO CHEMISTRY/ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY
Dr Rafaela Vasiliadou-10/9/2024
01.
TODAY’S
MAIN TOPICS: Elements, atoms and
periodic table
02.
Exercises
Learning objectives: understand elements, atoms, electronic configurations,
periodic table, valence electrons and solve relevant exercises!
Matter= Occupies space and has mass. All matter is made up from elements.
Elements= 1)Have specific chemical and physical properties, 2) can not broken
down into smaller pieces.
Each element is designated by its chemical symbol, which is a single capital
letter or a combination of two letters or come from their Latin names. Single
One letter: C for carbon
Two letters: Ca for calcium
Latina name: Sodium for NA
Molecule: A group of two or more atoms chemically bonded together!
What's the difference between a compound and a molecule?
In the atmosphere, nitrogen is found as a molecule of two nitrogen atoms bound together to form
the dinitrogen molecule (N2). N2 is a molecule since it contains 2 atoms held together by a chemical
bond, but it isn’t a compound since the two atoms in the molecule are of the same element.
Water (H2O) is both a molecule and a compound, since it has atoms of different elements
(hydrogen and oxygen) held together by chemical bonds.
An atom is the smallest unit of matter that retains all of the chemical properties of an element.
If gold is broken down into smaller pieces, it
will still retain its properties as a gold metal
but in smaller size.
So every block you see on the periodic table
represents a different element, and each element
is a different type of atom.
Orbit
Nucleus
Proton
Neutron
Electron
Atoms consists of three main subatomic particles:
protons, neutrons and electrons.
Protons are positively charged particles
P found in the nucleus of an atom.
They have a relative mass of 1 and a positive charge.
Neutrons are neutral particles found in the nucleus of an atom.
Electrons are negatively charged particles that orbit around the
nucleus in electron shells or energy levels. Electrons have small
mass compared to protons and neutrons.
Sketch the diagram of He
Acceptable formats
Give the complete symbols, atomic number and mass number for the following:
1) An oxygen atom with 8 protons and 8 neutrons
2) A potassium atom with 19 protons and 20 neutrons
3) A lithium atom with 3 protons and 4 neutrons
Column= Groups
Row= Periods
Alkali Metals
hydroxide ion
Dissociate
Alkaline Earth Metals
Hydroxide of
M(metal)
Electrons of an atom
Outer electrons
occupying the innermost shell or lowest energy levels.
The octet rule refers to the tendency of atoms to prefer to have eight
electrons in the valence shell. When atoms have fewer than eight electrons,
they tend to react and form more stable compounds.
Relationship of Valence electrons with
periodic table
The periodic table can be used to predict the valence electron configuration of the elements.
Valance electrons increase by one from left to right of a main period, and remain the same down the column
The electron configuration of an element describes how electrons are distributed in its atomic orbitals.
Max electrons (s) =2
Max electrons (p) =6
Max electrons (d)=10
Max electrons (f) =14
Predict which atom is larger for the following pairs of atom:
C or F
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2
Write the electron configuration of Mg and the number of valence electrons
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2
2 valence electrons
Practice at home
Element Group Valence electrons?
B 3A
SI 4A
As 5A
Te 6A
At 7A
Rn 8A
*Write the electron configuration
