Tro’s Chemistry Chapter 2 – Atoms and Elements Page 1 of 6

Acknowledgements: Some of the images are adopted from Tro’s textbook, the only purpose of
which is to enhance student learning.
Key skills: Law of definite proportions, law of multiple proportions, subatomic particles, atomic
mass unit, atomic number, muss number, isotope, atomic weight, predicting charges of ions,
converting between mass, mole, and number of atoms, periodic table, period, group, metal,
nonmetal, metalloid, anion, cations.
Review questions: 3-6, 13-28.
Suggested problems: 33, 53, 57, 61, 67, 69, 75, 85, 101, 109.

2.1. & 2.2 History of Atom

2.3 Modern Atomic Theory and the associated laws

The Law of Conservation of Mass – Lavoisier, 1789
In a chemical reaction, matter is neither created nor destroyed.

2 HgO (solid, red) Æ 2 Hg (liquid, shiny) + O2 (gas, no color)

The Law of Definite Proportions – Proust, 1779

All samples of a given compound, regardless of their source or how they were prepared, have
the same proportions of their constituent elements.

Example: H2O

(Refer to Example 2.1 and Practice 2.1 for problem solving help/hint.)

Q33. The mass ratio of sodium to fluorine is sodium fluoride is 1.21:1. A sample of sodium
fluoride produced 28.8 g of sodium upon decomposition. How much fluorine (in grams) was
formed?

The Law of Multiple Proportions – Dalton, 1804

When two elements (call them A and B) form two different compounds, the masses of element
B that combine with 1 g of element A can be expressed as a ratio of small whole numbers.

(Refer to Example 2.2 and Practice 2.2 for problem solving help/hint.)

Dalton’s Atomic Theory

1. Each element is composed of tiny, indestructible particles called atoms. (Definition of an
atom.)
Tro’s Chemistry Chapter 2 – Atoms and Elements Page 2 of 6

2. All atoms of a given element have the same mass and other properties that distinguish
them from the atoms of other elements. (Identity of an atom.)
3. Atoms combine in simple, whole-number ratios to form compound. (Behavior of atoms
in compound formation.)
4. Atoms of one element cannot change into atoms of another element. In a chemical
reaction, atoms change the way they are bound together with other atoms to form a new
substance. (Conservation of atoms in chemical reaction.)

2.4 & 2.5 Discovery of the Subatomic Particles

2.6 Properties of the Subatomic Particles

Particle Mass (g) Mass (amu) Location Charge Charge (C) Symbol
–24 –19
Proton 1.67262 x 10 1.00727 nucleus +1 +1.60218 x 10 p, p+, H+
Electron 0.00091 x 10–24 0.00055 empty space –1 0 e, e–
Neutron 1.67493 x 10–24 1.00866 nucleus 0 –1.60218 x 10–19 n, no

Atomic Number (Z) – ID of the atom

Mass Number (A) – count of the nucleons (p+ and no)

Isotopes – same count of protons but different counts of neutrons

Nuclear Symbol (AZX or X-A) of isotopes

(Refer to Example 2.3 and Practice 2.3 for problem solving help/hint.)

Q53. Determine the number of protons and neutrons in each of the following isotopes.
a. 147N b. 2311Na c. 22286Rn d. 20882Pb

Q57. Determine the number of protons and electrons in each of the following.
a. Ni2+ b. S2– c. Br– d. Cr3+
Tro’s Chemistry Chapter 2 – Atoms and Elements Page 3 of 6

Ions – formed by loss (cation) or gain (anion) of electrons

Examples –

Q61. Fill in the blanks to complete the following table.

Symbol Ion Formed Number of Electrons in Ion Number of Protons in Ion
2+
Ca Ca
Be2+ 2
Se 34
In 49

2.7 The Periodic Law and the Periodic Table – Mendeleev, 1834-1907
When the elements are arranged in order of increasing mass, certain sets of properties recur
periodically.

Artifacts of the periodic table: stair case, color code, rows columns
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Classification of elements in the periodic table (period, group, family)

• Metals

• Nonmetals

• Metalloids

• Main-group elements
o Alkali metals

o Alkaline earth metals

o Noble gases

o Halogens

• Chalcogens

• Transition elements

• Inner transition elements

Q67. Classify each of the following elements as an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, halogen, or
noble gas.
a. sodium b. iodine c. calcium d. barium e. krypton

Q69. Which pair of elements do you expect to be the most similar? Why?
a. N and Ni b. Mo and Sn c. Na and Mg d. Cl and F e. Si and P
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Ions and the Periodic Table – Hints

• A main-group metal tends to lose electrons, forming a cation with the same number of
electrons as the nearest noble gas.
(For main group metals, the charge of a monatomic ion Æ the group number with plus
sign.) Examples –

• A main-group nonmetal tends to gain electrons, forming an anion with the same number
of electrons as the nearest noble gas.
(For nonmetals, the charge of monatomic ion Æ the group number – 8.) Examples –

(Refer to Example 2.4 and Practice 2.4 for problem solving help/hint.)

Q101. Fill in the blanks to complete the following table.

Symbol Z A #p #e #n Charge
8 8 2–

Ca2+ 20 20

Mg2+ 25 13 2+

N3– 14 10

2.8 Atomic Mass – the weighted average mass of an element’s atom (natural abundance)
Atomic Mass = ∑ (fractional abundance of isotope )n × (mass of isotope )n
= (mass of isotope 1 x fraction of isotope 1)
+ (mass of isotope 2 x fraction of isotope 2)
+ (mass of isotope 3 x fraction of isotope 3) + . . .

(Refer to Example 2.5 and Practice 2.5 for problem solving help/hint.)

Q75. An element has two naturally occurring isotopes. Isotope 1 has a mass of 120.9038 amu
and a relative abundance of 57.4%, and isotope 2 has a mass of 122.9042 amu. Find the atomic
mass of this element, and by comparison to the periodic table identify it.
Tro’s Chemistry Chapter 2 – Atoms and Elements Page 6 of 6

2.9 Molar Mass: Counting Atoms by Weighing Them

The Mole: Avogadro’s number, 6.022 x 1023 pieces, chemist’s dozen
The numerical value of the mole is defined as being equal to the number in exactly 12 grams
of pure carbon-12 (12 g C = 1 mol C atoms = 6.022 x 1023 C atoms).

Molar mass – mass of one mole species

The value of an element’s molar mass in grams per mole is numerically equal to the element’s
atomic mass in atomic mass units.

Substance Weight of 1 atom Pieces in 1 mole Weight of 1 mole

hydrogen 1.008 amu 6.022 x 1023 atoms 1.008 g
carbon 12.01 amu 6.022 x 1023 atoms 12.01 g
oxygen 16.00 amu 6.022 x 1023 atoms 16.00 g
sulfur 32.06 amu 6.022 x 1023 atoms 32.06 g
calcium 40.08 amu 6.022 x 1023 atoms 40.08 g
? ? ?
chlorine

? ? ?
copper

Converting mass to mole to number of atoms – the route.

gram species mol species number species

conversion factor? conversion factor?

(Refer to Example 2.6, 2.7, 2.8 and Practice 2.6, 2.7, 2.8 for problem solving help/hint.)

Q85. How many atoms are there in each of the following?

a. 5.18 g P b. 2.26 g Hg c. 1.87 g Bi d. 0.082 g Sr

Q109. A pure copper sphere has a radius 0.935 in. How many copper atoms does it contain?
[The volume of a sphere is (4/3)πr3 and the a density of copper is 8.96 g/cm3.]