E-content for class IX Science

Chapter-4: STRUCTURE OF THE ATOM

 Table Of Contents
❖ Introduction
★ Bohr’s Model- Bohr-Bury
❖ Dalton Postulates
Scheme
❖ Electrons
★ Schematic atomic
❖ Protons structure of 1st eighteen
❖ Neutrons elements
❖ Thomson’s model ★ Composition of atoms for
❖ Drawbacks 1st eighteen elements
❖ Rutherford Model-Gold ★ Definitions
Foil experiment ★ Atomic Number
❖ Observations ★ Mass number
❖ Conclusions ★ Notation of an Atom
❖ Nuclear Model
❖ Drawbacks ★ Isotopes
★ Uses
★ Isobars
★ Note
 INTRODUCTION

An Indian philosopher Maharshi Kanad

postulated that matter is made up of tiny particles
known as paramanu

Ancient Greek philosophers-Democritus and

Leucippus suggested that matter is made up of
tiny particles which can not be divisible.
Democritus called these indivisible particles
atoms.
 Dalton’s Postulates
(i) All matter is made of very tiny particles
called atoms.
(ii) Atoms are indivisible particles.
(iii) Atoms of different elements have
different masses and chemical properties.
•Based on series of experiments like studying
static electricity, it was observed that atoms are
divisible.

•While combing dry hair or rubbing a glass rod

with silk cloth, it was observed that both the
objects become electrically charged. This
indicates that atoms are divisible containing
charged particles
 Electrons
• From the Cathode Ray Tube experiments, J.J.
Thomson invented the electrons. These are the
one of the constituent particles present in an
atom.
(i) Electrons are indicated with e-
(ii) These are negatively charged. Charge is
equal to ‘-1’.
(iii) Mass of electron is negligible. It is
approximately equal to ( 1/2000)of a proton.
 PROTONS
E. Goldstein discovered the presence of
positively charged particles in atom through
Cathode Ray Tube experiments. These
particles are named as protons.
(i) Protons are indicated with p+.
(ii) These are positively charged. Charge is
equal to +1.
(iii) Mass of proton is 2000 times to that of
electron. This mass was taken as 1 unit.
 NEUTRONS
J. Chadwick discovered another sub atomic
particle known as neutron.

(i) Neutrons are indicated with ‘n’.

(ii) Charge of neutrons is ‘0’.
(iii) Mass of neutron is slightly greater than
mass of proton. It was also taken as one unit.
 STRUCTURE OF AN ATOM
–THOMSON’S MODEL
Thomson model of an atom is similar to
Christmas pudding.
Electrons are in sphere of positive charge like
dry fruits in Christmas pudding or like seeds in
watermelon spread all over.
Atom is neutral as the number of positively
charged particles is equal to negatively
charged particles.
Thomson proposed that:
An atom consists of a positively charged sphere and
the electrons are embedded in it.
The negative and positive charges are equal in
magnitude. So, the
atom as a whole is electrically neutral.
 Drawbacks

❖ The model of atom failed to explain how a

positive charge holds the negatively charged
electrons in an atom.
❖ This theory also failed to account for the position
of the nucleus in an atom. Thomson's model failed
to explain the scattering of alpha particles.
 STRUCTURE OF AN ATOM
–RUTHERFORD’S MODEL
He selected a gold foil because he wanted as thin
layer as possible.
α-particles are doubly-charged helium ions. Since
they have a mass of 4 u, the fast-moving
a-particles have a considerable amount of energy.
It was expected that α-particles would be
deflected by the sub-atomic particles in the gold
atoms. Since the α-particles were much heavier
than the protons, he did not expect to see large
deflections.
Rutherford’s Gold foil experiment
 Rutherford’s observations:

(i) Most of the fast moving a-particles passed

straight through the gold foil.
(ii) Some of the a-particles were deflected by
the foil by small angles.
(iii) Surprisingly one out of every 12000
particles appeared to rebound.
 Rutherford’s conclusions
Most of the space inside the atom is empty because
most of the α- particles passed through the gold foil
without getting deflected.
Very few particles were deflected from their path,
indicating that the positive charge of the atom occupies
very little space.
A very small fraction of a-particles were deflected by
1800, indicating that all the positive charge and mass
of the gold atom were concentrated in a very small
volume within the atom.
 Rutherford’s nuclear model
There is a positively charged centre in an atom
called the nucleus.
Nearly all the mass of an atom resides in the
nucleus.
The size of the nucleus is very small as
compared to the size of the atom. It is 1/100000
of size of atom.
The electrons revolve around the nucleus in
circular paths.
 Drawbacks of Rutherford’s model
❖It did not account for the stability of the atom.

❖ It did not explain why electrons do not

lose energy and fall into nucleus.

❖It did not explain energy source of electrons to

revolve around the nucleus.
Drawbacks of Rutherford’s model
Postulates of Bohr’s Atomic Model
 Bohr’s model of an Atom
Electrons revolve around the nucleus only in
certain circular orbits.

These circular orbits are known as discrete orbits.

The energies of these discrete orbits are fixed.

Hence these are also called stationary states or
Energy levels or shells. These are designated by
letters K, L, M, N etc or numbers, n = 1, 2, 3, 4 etc.
As long as the electron revolves in these
shells, it does not lose energy.
Energy is emitted or absorbed by an atom only
when electron moves from one orbit to another.
Distribution of electrons in different
shells
(Bohr-Bury scheme)

i) The maximum number of electrons present

in a shell is given by the formula 2n2, where ‘n’
is the orbit number or energy level index,
1,2,3,….
•ii)The maximum number of electrons that can be
accommodated in the outermost orbit is 8

•iii)Electrons are not accommodated in a given

shell, unless the inner shells are filled. That is,
the shells are filled in a stepwise manner.
Let’s Revise: Distribution of electrons in shells
 Valency
Valency is the combining capacity of an atom of
an element.
Valence shell
It is the outermost electron shell of an atom.

Valence electrons
These are the electrons present in the outermost
shell of an atom.
 I. Number of electrons gained, lost or shared to
possess an octet gives the valency of that atom.
Completely filled outermost shell is called octet.
Helium atom can only accommodate 2 electrons
i.e.duplet.

II. Octet and duplet are highly stable and atoms with
these don't react with other atoms. So they only exist
as monoatom ie gases or inert gases.
Helium is only inert gas with two electrons in its
outermost shell.

▪Valency of elements having ≤ 4 electrons in

valence shell= No. of valence electrons
▪e.g. Valency of H=1, Li=1, Na=1

▪Valency of elements having > 4 electrons in

valence shell= 8- No. of valence electrons
▪e.g. Valency of N= 8-5=3
 Atomic Number
Atomic number: Atomic number of an
element is the number of protons present
in the nucleus of the atom of that element.
It is denoted by ‘Z’. All the atoms of that
element will have the same number of
protons.
Eg:-
✔ Hydrogen(Z) = 1 (1 proton)
✔ Helium (Z) = 2 (2 protons)
✔ Lithium (Z) = 3 (3 protons)
 MASS NUMBER
Mass number(A):The mass number of an element is
the sum of the number of nucleons (protons and
neutrons) present in the nucleus of an atom.

Mass of an atom is almost equal to the mass of the

protons and neutrons in the nucleus of the atom as
mass of electrons is negligible as compared to them.

Eg:-
✔ i.Carbon: Mass number=12
✔ (6 protons+6 neutrons) Mass = 12u

✔ ii.Aluminium: Mass number=27

✔ (13 protons+14 neutrons) Mass= 27u
Notation of an atom
 Uses of Isotopes
✔ An isotope of uranium(U-235) is used as a fuel
in nuclear reactors.

✔ An isotope of cobalt( Co-60) is used in the

treatment of cancer.

✔ An isotope of iodine ( I-131)is used in the

treatment of goitre.
 ISOBARS
Isobars are atoms of different elements having
different atomic numbers but same mass
numbers.
These pairs of elements have the same number
of nucleons.
Eg:-
1. Calcium (Ca: Z=20&A=40)
2. Argon (Z=18 & A=40)

This is due to equal number of nucleons:-

✔ Ca:20 protons + 20 neutrons
✔ Ar:18 protons + 22 neutrons
 NOTE
1. The chemical properties of Isotopes are similar but their
physical properties are different.(Both atoms are same)
2. The properties of Isobars are different. (Both atoms are
different)
3. Generally we will consider average atomic mass of an
element as it occurs in isotopic forms.

For example, Chlorine occurs in two Isotopic forms i.e. Cl-35

(75%) and Cl-75 ( 25%).Hence It’s average atomic mass is
calculated as 35.5u
[35(75/100) + 37(25/100)] = 35.5
Thank You