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Chapter 2: Problem 22

What is the modern view of the structure of the atom?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The modern view of the atom's structure is based on the quantum mechanical model, which consists of a dense nucleus containing protons and neutrons, surrounded by an electron cloud in discrete energy levels, or orbitals. Electrons occupy these orbitals following the quantization of energy levels and the Aufbau principle, which involves filling orbitals starting at the lowest-energy level and moving upwards.

Step by step solution

01

Introduce the atom

An atom is the smallest unit of a chemical element that retains the chemical properties of that element. The modern view of the atom's structure is based on the quantum mechanical model.
02

Protons, neutrons, and electrons

Atoms consist of three main particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons carry a positive charge, neutrons have no charge (neutral), and electrons carry a negative charge.
03

Atomic nucleus

At the center of an atom is a dense core called the nucleus, composed of protons and neutrons. These are referred to as nucleons. The nucleus accounts for most of the atom's mass.
04

Electron cloud

Surrounding the nucleus is a cloud of electrons, which occupy specific regions called orbitals. The electrons are attracted to the positively charged protons in the nucleus but remain separated due to their energy levels and the electromagnetic force.
05

Quantization of energy levels

Electrons in an atom exist in specific energy levels, called shells or orbitals. These energy levels are quantized, meaning that electrons can only exist in certain discrete energy levels and not in between. Energy levels are denoted as n = 1, 2, 3, ... and generally follow the formula 2n^2 for the maximum number of electrons that can occupy each level.
06

Electron orbitals

Each energy level in an atom is divided into sublevels called orbitals. There are four types of orbitals: s, p, d, and f, each having a unique shape and orientation in space. Electrons occupy these orbitals in a specific order, following the Aufbau principle, which states that electrons fill orbitals starting at the lowest-energy level and moving upwards. Overview: The modern view of an atom's structure includes protons and neutrons in the atomic nucleus and electrons surrounding it in specific energy levels, or orbitals. The quantum mechanical model, which incorporates the quantization of energy levels and the Aufbau principle, best describes the atom's structure.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Section \(2.3\) describes the postulates of Dalton's atomic theory With some modifications, these postulates hold up very well regarding how we view elements, compounds, and chemical reactions today. Answer the following questions concerning Dalton's atomic theory and the modifications made today. a. The atom can be broken down into smaller parts. What are the smaller parts? b. How are atoms of hydrogen identical to each other and how can they be different from each other? c. How are atoms of hydrogen different from atoms of helium? How can \(\mathrm{H}\) atoms be similar to \(\mathrm{He}\) atoms? d. How is water different from hydrogen peroxide \(\left(\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{2}\right)\) even though both compounds are composed of only hydrogen and oxygen? e. What happens in a chemical reaction and why is mass conserved in a chemical reaction?

Reaction of \(2.0 \mathrm{~L}\) of hydrogen gas with \(1.0 \mathrm{~L}\) of oxygen gas yields \(2.0 \mathrm{~L}\) of water vapor. All gases are at the same temperature and pressure. Show how these data support the idea that oxygen gas is a diatomic molecule. Must we consider hydrogen to be a diatomic molecule to explain these results?

Which (if any) of the following can be determined by knowing the number of protons in a neutral element? Explain your answer. a. the number of neutrons in the neutral element. b. the number of electrons in the neutral element. c. the name of the element.

A certain element has only two naturally occurring isotopes: one with 18 neutrons and the other with 20 neutrons. The element forms \(1-\) charged ions when in ionic compounds. Predict the identity of the element. What number of electrons does the \(1-\) charged ion have?

You take three compounds, each consisting of two elements \((\mathrm{X}, \mathrm{Y}\), and \(/ \mathrm{or} \mathrm{Z})\), and decompose them to their respective elements. To determine the relative masses of \(\mathrm{X}, \mathrm{Y}\), and \(\mathrm{Z}\), you collect and weigh the elements, obtaining the following data: $$ \begin{array}{|ll|} \hline \text { Elements in Compound } & \text { Masses of Elements } \\ \hline \text { 1. } \mathrm{X} \text { and } \mathrm{Y} & \mathrm{X}=0.4 \mathrm{~g}, \mathrm{Y}=4.2 \mathrm{~g} \\ \text { 2. Y and } \mathrm{Z} & \mathrm{Y}=1.4 \mathrm{~g}, \mathrm{Z}=1.0 \mathrm{~g} \\ \text { 3. } \mathrm{X} \text { and } \mathrm{Y} & \mathrm{X}=2.0 \mathrm{~g}, \mathrm{Y}=7.0 \mathrm{~g} \\ \hline \end{array} $$ a. What are the assumptions needed to solve this problem? b. What are the relative masses of \(\mathrm{X}, \mathrm{Y}\), and \(\mathrm{Z} ?\) c. What are the chemical formulas of the three compounds? d. If you decompose \(21 \mathrm{~g}\) of compound \(\mathrm{XY}\), how much of each element is present?
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