Learning Objectives Describe the three subatomic particles that compose atoms Define isotopes and give examples for several elements Write and interpret symbols that depict the atomic number, mass number, and charge of an atom or ion A Primer on Subatomic Particles and Atoms Video \(\PageIndex{1}\) : A Primer on What an Atom is from Fuse School Chemistry. The development of modern atomic theory revealed much about the inner structure of atoms. It was learned that an atom contains a very small nucleus composed of positively charged protons and uncharged neutrons, surrounded by a much larger volume of space containing negatively charged electrons. The nucleus contains the majority of an atom’s mass because protons and neutrons are much heavier than electrons, whereas electrons occupy almost all of an atom’s volume. The diameter of an atom is on the order of 10 −10 m, whereas the diameter of the nucleus is roughly 10 −15 m—about 100,000 times smaller. For a perspective about their relative sizes, consider this: If the nucleus were the size of a blueberry, the atom would be about the size of a football stadium (Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)). Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): If an atom could be expanded to the size of a football stadium, the nucleus would be the size of a single blueberry. (credit middle: modification of work by “babyknight”/Wikimedia Commons; credit right: modification of work by Paxson Woelber). Atoms—and the protons, neutrons, and electrons that compose them—are extremely small. For example, a carbon atom weighs less than 2 \(\times\) 10 −23 g, and an electron has a charge of less than 2 \(\times\) 10 −19 C (coulomb). When describing the properties of tiny objects such as atoms, we use appropriately small units of measure, such as the atomic mass unit (amu) and the fundamental unit of charge (e) . The amu was originally defined based on hydrogen, the lightest element, then later in terms of oxygen. Since 1961, it has been defined with regard to the most abundant isotope of carbon, atoms of which are assigned masses of exactly 12 amu. (This isotope is known as “carbon-12” as will be discussed later in this module.) Thus, one amu is exactly \(1/12\) of the mass of one carbon-12 atom: 1 amu = 1.6605 \(\times\) 10 −24 g. (The Dalton (Da) and the unified atomic mass unit (u) are alternative units that are equivalent to the amu.) The fundamental unit of charge (also called the elementary charge) equals the magnitude of the charge of an electron (e) with e = 1.602 \(\times\) 10 −19 C. A proton has a mass of 1.0073 amu and a charge of 1+. A neutron is a slightly heavier particle with a mass 1.0087 amu and a charge of zero; as its name suggests, it is neutral. The electron has a charge of 1− and is a much lighter particle with a mass of about 0.00055 amu (it would take about 1800 electrons to equal the mass of one proton. The properties of these fundamental particles are summarized in Table \(\PageIndex{1}\). (An observant student might notice that the sum of an atom’s subatomic particles does not equal the atom’s actual mass: The total mass of six protons, six neutrons, and six electrons is 12.0993 amu, slightly larger than the 12.00 amu of an actual carbon-12 atom. This “missing” mass is known as the mass defect, and you will learn about it in the chapter on nuclear chemistry.) Name Location Charge (C) Unit Charge Mass (amu) Mass (g) electron outside nucleus \(−1.602 \times 10^{−19}\) 1− 0.00055 \(0.00091 \times 10^{−24}\) proton nucleus \(1.602 \times 10^{−19}\) 1+ 1.00727 \(1.67262 \times 10^{−24}\) neutron nucleus 0 0 1.00866 \(1.67493 \times10^{−24}\) The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom is its atomic number (Z) . This is the defining trait of an element: Its value determines the identity of the atom. For example, any atom that contains six protons is the element carbon and has the atomic number 6, regardless of how many neutrons or electrons it may have. A neutral atom must contain the same number of positive and negative charges, so the number of protons equals the number of electrons. Therefore, the atomic number also indicates the number of electrons in an atom. The total number of protons and neutrons in an atom is called its mass number (A) . The number of neutrons is therefore the difference between the mass number and the atomic number: A – Z = number of neutrons. \[\begin{align*} \ce{atomic\: number\:(Z)\: &= \:number\: of\: protons\\ mass\: number\:(A)\: &= \:number\: of\: protons + number\: of\: neutrons\\ A-Z\: &= \:number\: of\: neutrons} \end{align*}\] Atoms are electrically neutral if they contain the same number of positively charged protons and negatively charged electrons. When the numbers of these subatomic particles are not equal, the atom is electrically charged and is called an ion . The charge of an atom is defined as follows: Atomic charge = number of protons − number of electrons As will be discussed in more detail later in this chapter, atoms (and molecules) typically acquire charge by gaining or losing electrons. An atom that gains one or more electrons will exhibit a negative charge and is called an anion . Positively charged atoms called cations are formed when an atom loses one or more electrons. For example, a neutral sodium atom (Z = 11) has 11 electrons. If this atom loses one electron, it will become a cation with a 1+ charge (11 − 10 = 1+). A neutral oxygen atom (Z = 8) has eight electrons, and if it gains two electrons it will become an anion with a 2− charge (8 − 10 = 2−). Example \(\PageIndex{1}\): Composition of an Atom Iodine is an essential trace element in our diet; it is needed to produce thyroid hormone. Insufficient iodine in the diet can lead to the development of a goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland (Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\)). Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): (a) Insufficient iodine in the diet can cause an enlargement of the thyroid gland called a goiter. (b) The addition of small amounts of iodine to salt, which prevents the formation of goiters, has helped eliminate this concern in the US where salt consumption is high. (credit a: modification of work by “Almazi”/Wikimedia Commons; credit b: modification of work by Mike Mozart) The addition of small amounts of iodine to table salt (iodized salt) has essentially eliminated this health concern in the United States, but as much as 40% of the world’s population is still at risk of iodine deficiency. The iodine atoms are added as anions, and each has a 1− charge and a mass number of 127. Determine the numbers of protons, neutrons, and electrons in one of these iodine anions. Solution The atomic number of iodine (53) tells us that a neutral iodine atom contains 53 protons in its nucleus and 53 electrons outside its nucleus. Because the sum of the numbers of protons and neutrons equals the mass number, 127, the number of neutrons is 74 (127 − 53 = 74). Since the iodine is added as a 1− anion, the number of electrons is 54 [53 – (1–) = 54]. Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\) An ion of platinum has a mass number of 195 and contains 74 electrons. How many protons and neutrons does it contain, and what is its charge? Answer 78 protons; 117 neutrons; charge is 4+ Chemical Symbols A chemical symbol is an abbreviation that we use to indicate an element or an atom of an element. For example, the symbol for mercury is Hg (Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\)). We use the same symbol to indicate one atom of mercury (microscopic domain) or to label a container of many atoms of the element mercury (macroscopic domain). Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\) : The symbol Hg represents the element mercury regardless of the amount; it could represent one atom of mercury or a large amount of mercury. from Wikipedia (user: Materialscientist). The symbols for several common elements and their atoms are listed in Table \(\PageIndex{2}\). Some symbols are derived from the common name of the element; others are abbreviations of the name in another language. Symbols have one or two letters, for example, H for hydrogen and Cl for chlorine. To avoid confusion with other notations, only the first letter of a symbol is capitalized. For example, Co is the symbol for the element cobalt, but CO is the notation for the compound carbon monoxide, which contains atoms of the elements carbon (C) and oxygen (O). All known elements and their symbols are in the periodic table. Element Symbol Element.1 Symbol.1 aluminum Al iron Fe (from ferrum) bromine Br lead Pb (from plumbum) calcium Ca magnesium Mg carbon C mercury Hg (from hydrargyrum) chlorine Cl nitrogen N chromium Cr oxygen O cobalt Co potassium K (from kalium) copper Cu (from cuprum) silicon Si fluorine F silver Ag (from argentum) gold Au (from aurum) sodium Na (from natrium) helium He sulfur S hydrogen H tin Sn (from stannum) iodine I zinc Zn Traditionally, the discoverer (or discoverers) of a new element names the element. However, until the name is recognized by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), the recommended name of the new element is based on the Latin word(s) for its atomic number. For example, element 106 was called unnilhexium (Unh), element 107 was called unnilseptium (Uns), and element 108 was called unniloctium (Uno) for several years. These elements are now named after scientists or locations; for example, element 106 is now known as seaborgium (Sg) in honor of Glenn Seaborg, a Nobel Prize winner who was active in the discovery of several heavy elements. IUPAC Visit this site to learn more about IUPAC, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, and explore its periodic table. Feedback Have feedback to give about this text? Click here . Found a typo and want extra credit? Click here .