COLLEGE OF PHARMACY

3.1 INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF AN ATOM

SUBATOMIC PARTICLE is a very small particle that is a building block for atoms.

Three types of subatomic particles:

1. Electron is a subatomic particle that possesses a negative (-) electrical charge
2. Proton is a subatomic particle that possesses a positive (+) electrical charge
3. Neutron is a subatomic particle that has no charge associated with it; that is, it is neutral.

Arrangement of Subatomic Particles within an Atom

Nucleus is the small, dense, positively charged center of an atom.
Nucleon is any subatomic particle found in the nucleus of an atom.

3.2 ATOMIC NUMBER AND MASS NUMBER

Atomic number (Z) is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.

Atomic number = number of protons = number of electrons
Mass number (A) is the sum of the number of protons and the number of neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.
Mass number = number of protons = number of neutrons

Number of protons = atomic number = Z

Number of electrons = atomic number = Z
Number of neutrons = mass number - atomic number = A - Z

EXAMPLE 3.1 Determining the Subatomic Particle Makeup of an Atom Given Its Atomic Number and Mass Number.
An atom has an atomic number of 9 and a mass number of 19.
a. Determine the number of protons present. Ans: 9
b. Determine the number of neutrons present. 19 – 9 = 10
c. Determine the number of electrons present. Ans: 9

Complete chemical symbol notation, the atomic number is placed as a subscript in front of the chemical symbol and the mass
number is placed as a superscript in front of the chemical symbol.

3.3 ISOTOPES AND ATOMIC MASSES

Isotopes are atoms of an element that have the same number of protons and the same number of electrons but different
numbers of neutrons. Different isotopes always have the same atomic number and different mass numbers.
The Three Isotopes of Hydrogen:
1: 1H (Protium) is the most common hydrogen isotope.
2. 2H, the other stable hydrogen isotope, is known as deuterium. “Heavy water.”
3. 3H is known as tritium. The heaviest hydrogen isotope is used in nuclear weapons.

Example: Determine the following for an atom whose complete chemical symbol is
a. The total number of subatomic particles present in the atom

Solution: The mass number gives the combined number of protons and neutrons present. The atomic number gives the number
of electrons present. Adding these two numbers together gives the total number of subatomic particles present. There are 38
subatomic particles present (26 + 12 = 38)

b. The total number of subatomic particles present in the nucleus of the atom

Solution: The nucleus contains all protons and all neutrons. The mass number (protons + neutrons), thus, gives the total
number of subatomic particles present in the nucleus of an atom. There are 26 subatomic particles present in the nucleus

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c. The total number of nucleons present in the atom d. The total charge (including sign) associated with the nucleus of the atom

Solution: A nucleon is any subatomic particle present in the nucleus. Thus, both protons and neutrons are nucleons. There are
26 such particles present in the nucleus. Parts b and c of this example are, thus, asking the same thing using different
terminology.

d. The total charge (including sign) associated with the nucleus of the atom.

Solution: The charge associated with a nucleus originates from the protons present. It will always be positive because protons
are positively charged particles. The atomic number, 12, indicates that 12 protons are present. Thus, the nuclear charge is +12.
3.4 THE PERIODIC LAW AND THE PERIODIC TABLE
In 1869, these efforts culminated in the discovery of what is now called the periodic law, proposed independently by the
Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev and the German chemist Julius Lothar Meyer.

Periodic law states that when elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number, elements with similar chemical
properties occur at periodic intervals.

The periodic table is a tabular arrangement of the elements in order of increasing atomic number such that elements having
similar chemical properties are positioned in vertical columns.

Groups and Periods of Elements:

The period is a horizontal row of elements in the periodic table. Period numbers are found on the left side of the table. For
example; the elements Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, and Ar are all members of Period 3.
A group is a vertical column of elements in the periodic table. There are two notations in use for designating individual periodic
table groups.

Four groups of elements also have common (non-numerical) names.

1. Alkali metal is a general name for any element in Group IA of the periodic table, excluding hydrogen.
The alkali metals are soft, shiny metals that readily react with water.
2. Alkaline earth metal is a general name for any element in Group IIA of the periodic table.
The alkaline earth metals are also soft, shiny metals but they are only moderately reactive toward water. On the
extreme right of the periodic table are found the halogens (F, Cl, Br, I, At) and the noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn).
3. Halogen is a general name for any element in Group VIIA of the periodic table.
The halogens are reactive elements that are gases at room temperature or become such at temperatures slightly above
room temperature.
4. Noble gas is a general name for any element in Group VIIIA of the periodic table. Noble gases are unreactive gases that
undergo few, if any, chemical reactions

EXAMPLE: Identifying Groups, Periods, and Specially Named Families of Elements.

What is the chemical symbol of the element that fits each of the following descriptions based on periodic table location?
a. Located in both Period 3 and Group IVA. Ans: The element that has this column–row (period–group) location is Si (silicon).
b. The Period 4 noble gas. Ans: The Period 4 (fourth row) noble gas is Kr (krypton).
c. The Period 2 alkaline earth metal. Ans: The Period 2 (second row) alkaline earth metal is Be (beryllium).
d. The Period 3 halogen. Ans: The Period 2 (second row) alkaline earth metal is Be (beryllium).

3.5 METALS AND NONMETALS

On the basis of selected physical properties, elements are classified into the categories of metal and nonmetal.

METAL is an element that has the characteristic properties of luster, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and
malleability.
NONMETAL is an element characterized by the absence of the properties of luster, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity,
and malleability.

METAL NONMETAL
1. High electrical conductivity that decreases with 1. Poor electrical conductivity (except carbon in the form of
increasing temperature graphite)
2. High thermal conductivity 2. Good heat insulators (except carbon in the form of
3. Metallic gray or silver luster diamond)
4. Almost all are solids 3. No metallic luster
5. Malleable (can be hammered into sheets) 4. Solids, liquids, or gases

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6. Ductile (can be drawn into wires) 5.
Brittle in solid state
6.
No ductile
7.
The only nonmetal found as a liquid at room
temperature is bromine.
8. Solid nonmetals include carbon, iodine, sulfur, and
phosphorus
9. In general, nonmetals have lower densities and lower
melting points than metals.
***The four most abundant elements in the human body which comprise over 99% of all atoms in the body, are nonmetals —
hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen.

3.6 ELECTRON ARRANGEMENTS WITHIN ATOMS

ELECTRON SHELL is a region of space about a nucleus that contains electrons that have approximately the same energy and that
spend most of their time approximately the same distance from the nucleus.
ELECTRON SUBSHELL is a region of space within an electron shell that contains electrons that have the same energy
The four subshell types (s, p, d, and f ).
ELECTRON ORBITAL is a region of space within an electron subshell where an electron with a specific energy is most likely to be
found.
1. s subshell (2 electrons) contains one orbital.
2. p subshell (6 electrons) contains three orbitals.
3. d subshell (10 electrons) contains five orbitals
4. f subshell (14 electrons) contains seven orbitals

Writing Electron Configurations and Orbital Diagrams

An electron configuration is a statement of how many electrons an atom has in each of its
electron subshells.
Orbital diagram is a notation that shows how many electrons an atom has in each of its
occupied electron orbitals. The two electrons present are of opposite spin.

Example:
1. Lithium (atomic number = 3) has three electrons,
a. The electron configuration for lithium is 1s² 2s¹
b. Orbital diagram:

2. Beryllium (atomic number = 4)

a. Electron configuration 1s² 2s²
b. Orbital Diagram

Other example:

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3.7 CLASSIFICATION OF THE ELEMENTS
1. A noble gas element is an element located in the far right column of the periodic table. These elements are all
gases at room temperature, and they have little tendency to form chemical compounds.
2. A representative element is an element located in the s area or the first five columns of the p area of the
periodic table.
The four most abundant elements in the human body — hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen —
are nonmetallic representative elements.
3. Transition element is an element located in the d area of the periodic table. All of the transition elements are
metals. The most abundant transition element in the human body is iron.
4. Inner transition element is an element located in the f area of the periodic table.

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