Structure of the Atom

At a Glance
• British scientist J. J. Thomson proposed that an atom is electrically neutral as the negative charge is equal to the
positive charge, the atom being a positively charged sphere with the negatively charged electrons being embedded
in it.

• Ernest Rutherford studied the scattering of α-particles using the gold foil experiment and concluded that an
atom consists of a positively charged nucleus in the centre around which the electrons revolve in circular orbits.
Although the nucleus is very small as compared to the size of the atom, it accounts for almost the entire mass of
the atom.

• Danish scientist Neils Bohr proposed that there are discrete electron orbits in an atom and the electrons revolving in
these discrete orbits do not radiate energy. The orbits are called energy levels and are represented by K, L, M, etc.

• J. Chadwick discovered the neutral subatomic particle, called the neutron ‘n’, found in the nucleus of all atoms,
except hydrogen. The mass of an atom is the sum of the masses of the protons and neutrons present in the
nucleus.
• Bohr and Bury suggested the rules that determine the distribution of electrons in the various shells.
• The maximum number of electrons present in a shell is given by 2n2, n denoting the orbit number or energy
level, 1 being the orbit closest to the nucleus. Therefore, the shells K, L, M, N, … will hold 2 (2 × 12),
8 (2 × 22), 18 (2 × 32), 32 (2 × 42), … electrons respectively.
• Unless one shell is complete, the electrons do not move to fill in the next shell.
• The outermost shell of an atom can hold a maximum of 8 electrons.
• Atoms share, gain or lose electrons through reactions, so as to attain a complete outermost shell.
• The combining capacity of an atom of an element is known as the valency of the element.
• The atomic number of an element is defined as the total number of protons present in the nucleus of one atom of
the element. Atomic number is denoted by Z.
• The mass number of an element is the count of the total number of protons and neutrons, together referred to as
nucleons, present in the nucleus of an atom of the element. Mass number is denoted by A.
• An element X, with mass number A and atomic number Z is denoted by AZ X.

• Isotopes are atoms of the same element which have the same atomic number but different mass numbers. Each
isotope of an element is a pure substance. Most elements consist of a mixture of its isotopes.
• While isotopes have similar chemical properties, their physical properties differ.
• In elements that have isotopes, the mass of an atom is calculated as the average mass of the atoms of the various
isotopes of the element.
• Atoms of different elements with different atomic numbers but the same mass number, are known as isobars.
2 Exemplar Plus Science

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following correctly represent the electronic distribution in the Mg atom?
(a) 3,8,1 (b) 2,8,2 (c) 1,8,3 (d) 8,2,2
Answer: (b) 2n2 is the number of electrons that can be accommodated in a shell. Hence the first shell will contain 2,
the next 8 and so on.
2. Rutherford’s ‘alpha (α) particles scattering experiment’ resulted in to discovery of
(a) electron (b) proton
(c) nucleus in the atom (d) atomic mass
Answer: (c) While conducting the experiment, Rutherford found that a very small part of the α-particles were
deflected by 180°, thus showing that the positive charge and mass of the atom were concentrated in a very small
area within the atom. This gave rise to the discovery of the nucleus.
3. The number of electrons in an element X is 15 and the number of neutrons is 16. Which of the following is the
correct representation of the element?
(a) 31
15
X (b) 31
16
X (c) 16
15
X (d) 16
15
X

Answer: (a) 31 represents the mass number, A, of the element X, which is the count of the total number of
protons and neutrons. A = 15 + 16 = 31, as the number of electrons equals the number of protons in an atom. 15
represents the atomic number, Z, of the element X which is the total number of protons present in the nucleus of
one atom of the element X.
4. Dalton’s atomic theory successfully explained
(i) Law of conservation of mass (ii) Law of constant composition
(iii) Law of radioactivity (iv) Law of multiple proportion
(a) (i), (ii) and (iii) (b) (i), (iii) and (iv)
(c) (ii), (iii) and (iv) (d) (i), (ii) and (iv).
Answer: (d)
5. Which of the following statements about Rutherford’s model of atom are correct?
(i) Considered the nucleus as positively charged
(ii) Established that the α-particles are four times as heavy as a hydrogen atom
(iii) Can be compared to solar system
(iv) Was in agreement with Thomson’s model
(a) (i) and (iii) (b) (ii) and (iii)
(c) (i) and (iv) (d) only (i)
Answer: (a) Although Rutherford experimented with α-particles, he did not establish facts regarding the weight
of α-particles. He concluded that an atom consists of a positively charged nucleus in the centre around which the
electrons revolve in circular orbits, which can be likened to the solar system.
6. Which of the following are true for an element?
(i) Atomic number = number of protons + number of electrons
(ii) Mass number = number of protons + number of neutrons
(iii) Atomic mass = number of protons = number of neutrons
(iv) Atomic number = number of protons = number of electrons
(a) (i) and (ii) (b) (i) and (iii)
(c) (ii) and (iii) (d) (ii) and (iv)
Answer: (d)
7. In the Thomson’s model of atom, which of the following statements are correct?
(i) The mass of the atom is assumed to be uniformly distributed over the atom.
(ii) The positive charge is assumed to be uniformly distributed over the atom.
 Structure of the Atom 3

(iii) The electrons are uniformly distributed in the positively charged sphere.
(iv) The electrons attract each other to stabilise the atom.
(a) (i), (ii) and (iii) (b) (i) and (iii) (c) (i) and (iv) (d) (i), (iii) and (iv)
Answer: (a) Thomson proposed that an atom is electrically neutral as the negative charge is equal to the
positive charge, the atom being a positively charged sphere with the negatively charged electrons being
embedded in it.

Tip
Remember Thomson’s atom model described as a spherical Christmas pudding with the electrons as the dry fruits
embedded in it.

8. Rutherford’s α-particle scattering experiment showed that

(i) Electrons have negative charge.
(ii) The mass and positive charge of the atom is concentrated in the nucleus.
(iii) Neutron exists in the nucleus.
(iv) Most of the space in atom is empty.
Which of the above statements are correct?
(a) (i) and (iii) (b) (ii) and (iv) (c) (i) and (iv) (d) (iii) and (iv)
Answer: (b) While Rutherford proposed the existence of a central nucleus, the neutron was discovered by
Chadwick. Thomson proposed the existence of negatively charged electrons.

Trick
Remember ETNCPR – Extra Terrestrial in the National Capital; Practice Restraint!
Electrons came with the Thomson model, Neutrons with Chadwick and Protons with Rutherford

9. The ion of an element has 3 positive charges. Mass number of the atom is 27 and the number of neutrons is 14.
What is the number of electrons in the ion?
(a) 13 (b) 10 (c) 14 (d) 16
Answer: (b) Mass number = number of protons (p) + number of neutrons (n) = 27
Given n = 14 ⇒ p = 27 – 14 = 13
Number of electrons in an atom = p = 13
The ion has a positive charge of 3 ⇒ The ion has lost 3 electrons.
∴ Number of electrons in the ion = 13 – 3 = 10
10. Identify the Mg2+ ion from the Fig. 4.1 where, n and p represent the number of neutrons and protons respectively.

(a) n = 12 (b) n = 12
p = 12 p = 10

(c) n = 10 (d) n = 12
p = 12 p = 12

Fig 4.1.
 4 Exemplar Plus Science

Answer: (d) The magnesium atom has 12 neutrons, 12 protons and 12 electrons, as the mass number of
magnesium is 24 and the atomic number of magnesium is 12. The magnesium atom loses 2 atoms to form the
Mg2+ ion. Hence the Mg2+ ion will have 12 – 2 = 10 electrons, which is correctly shown in option (d).
11. In a sample of ethyl ethanoate (CH3COOC2H5) the two oxygen atoms have the same number of electrons but
different number of neutrons. Which of the following is the correct reason for it?
(a) One of the oxygen atoms has gained electrons.
(b) One of the oxygen atoms has gained two neutrons.
(c) The two oxygen atoms are isotopes.
(d) The two oxygen atoms are isobars.
Answer: (c) Isotopes are atoms of the same element which have the same atomic number but different mass
numbers, because of the difference in the number of neutrons.
12. Elements with valency 1 are
(a) always metals (b) always metalloids (c) either metals or non-metals   (d) always non-metals
Answer: (c) Metals with a valency 1 have 1 electron on the outer shell, which they lose to form a positive ion.
Non-metals with a valency 1 have 7 electrons on the outer shell. So they gain one electron to complete the shell,
thus forming a negative ion. Hence both metals and non-metals can have a valency 1.
13. The first model of an atom was given by
(a) N Bohr (b) E Goldstein (c) Rutherford (d) JJ Thomson
Answer: (d)
14. An atom with 3 protons and 4 neutrons will have a valency of
(a) 3 (b) 7 (c) 1 (d) 4
Answer: (c) An atom with 3 protons will have 3 electrons as well, since an atom is electrically neutral and has
an equal number of protons and electrons. The first shell of an atom can have only 2 electrons. Hence the third
electron will be in the second shell, which is the valence shell. Since there is 1 valence electron, the valency
will be 1.
15. The electron distribution in an aluminium atom is
(a) 2, 8, 3 (b) 2, 8, 2 (c) 8, 2, 3 (d) 2, 3, 8
Answer: (a) The atomic number of aluminium is 13. The 13 electrons are arranged with 2 in the shell K, 8 in the
shell L and the remaining 3 in the shell M.
16. Which of the following in figure do not represent Bohr’s model of an atom correctly?

Fig 4.2.

Answer: (c) Bohr’s model states that the maximum number of electrons present in a shell is given by 2n2, n
denoting the orbit number or energy level, 1 being the orbit closest to the nucleus. Hence the first shell can have
only 2 and the second shell only 8 electrons. (ii) has 4 electrons in the first shell, which is not possible as per
Bohr’s model. (iv) has 9 electrons in the second shell, which is not possible as per Bohr’s model.
 Structure of the Atom 5

17. Which of the following statement is always correct?

(a) An atom has equal number of electrons and protons.
(b) An atom has equal number of electrons and neutrons.
(c) An atom has equal number of protons and neutrons.
(d) An atom has equal number of electrons, protons and neutrons.
Answer: (a) An atom is electrically neutral and hence always has an equal number of electrons and protons.

Common Mistake
An atom is electrically charged when it gains or loses an electron. (✗)
An atom is always electrically neutral with an equal number of electrons and protons. When an atom loses or gains an
electron, it becomes a positive or negative ion respectively. (✔)

Tip
The mass number (A) of an element is the count of the total number of protons and neutrons whereas the atomic number
(Z) of an element is defined as the total number of protons present in the nucleus of one atom of the element. A is not
necessarily the double of Z.

18. Atomic models have been improved over the years. Arrange the following atomic models in the order of their
chronological order.
(i) Rutherford’s atomic model (ii) Thomson’s atomic model (iii) Bohr’s atomic model
(a) (i), (ii) and (iii) (b) (ii), (iii) and (i) (c) (ii), (i) and (iii) (d) (iii), (ii) and (i)
Answer: (c)

Short Answer Questions

19. Is it possible for the atom of an element to have one electron, one proton and no neutron. If so, name the element.
Answer: Yes, it is possible. Protium, an isotope of hydrogen, has one proton and one electron but no neutron.
20. Write any two observations which support the fact that atoms are divisible.
Answer: Isotopes of an element show the existence of neutrons. The formation of ions show the existence
of electrons. Hence, the existence of sub-atomic particles, like the neutron and electron, show that the atom
is divisible.
21. Will 35Cl and 37Cl have different valencies? Justify your answer.
Answer: No. Here 35 and 37 denote the mass number of the same element chlorine. Hence 35Cl and 37Cl are
isotopes of chlorine. Isotopes of the same element have the same atomic number. Therefore, the number of
electrons being the same, their electronic configuration and valency will remain the same.
22. Why did Rutherford select a gold foil in his α–ray scattering experiment?
Answer: Gold is highly malleable and can be made into very thin sheets. Rutherford wanted to use the thinnest
layer possible in his experiment. Hence, he selected the gold foil which
was about 1000 atoms thick.
23. Find out the valency of the atoms represented by the Fig. 4.3 (a) and (b).
Answer: (a) There are 8 electrons in the outermost shell, the valence shell,
making it complete. Hence the valency is 0.
(b) The outermost shell, the valence shell, has 7 electrons. As it needs (a) (b)
1 more electron to become complete, the valency is 1. Fig 4.3.
 6 Exemplar Plus Science

24. One electron is present in the outermost shell of the atom of an element X. What would be the nature and value
of charge on the ion formed if this electron is removed from the outermost shell?
Answer: When the atom loses an electron, the ion will have a charge of +1.
25. Write down the electron distribution of chlorine atom. How many electrons are there in the L shell? (Atomic
number of chlorine is 17).
Answer: The atomic number of chlorine is 17, means there are 17 electrons in one atom of chlorine. The
electronic configuration of chlorine atom is 2,8,7. The shells being named in the order K, L, M, the L shell of the
chlorine atom has eight electrons.

Common Mistake
The M shell of chlorine has 8 electrons. (✗)
The M shell of chlorine has 7 electrons. The valence shell is complete only in the case of the inert gases. (✔)

26. In the atom of an element X, 6 electrons are present in the outermost shell. If it acquires noble gas configuration
by accepting requisite number of electrons, then what would be the charge on the ion so formed?
Answer: In order to acquire noble gas status, the atom must have a complete valence shell, i.e., 8 electrons in its
outermost shell. As an atom of X has only 6 electrons in its outermost shell, it will accept two more electrons to
acquire noble gas configuration. The ion so formed would have a charge of –2.
27. What information do you get from the Fig. 4.4 about the atomic number, mass number and valency of atoms X,
Y and Z? Give your answer in a tabular form.

5p 8p 15 p
6n 10 n 16 n

(X) (Y) (Z)

Fig 4.4.

Answer: We get the following information about these elements.

Element Atomic Number Mass Number Valency

X 5 11 3
Y 8 18 2
Z 15 31 3, 5

28. In response to a question, a student stated that in an atom, the number of protons is greater than the number of
neutrons, which in turn is greater than the number of electrons. Do you agree with the statement? Justify your
answer.
Answer: No, the statement is incorrect. In an atom, which is neutral, the number of protons and electrons are
always equal. The number of neutrons will be equal to or greater than the number of protons and never less, with
the exception of hydrogen..
 Structure of the Atom 7

29. Calculate the number of neutrons present in the nucleus of an element X which is represented as 3115X.
Answer: Mass number = number of neutrons + number of protons = 31
Atomic number = number of protons = 15
∴ Number of neutrons = mass number – atomic number = 31 – 15 = 16
30. Match the names of the Scientists given in column A with their contributions towards the understanding of the
atomic structure as given in column B.

(A) (B)
(a) Ernest Rutherford (i) Indivisibility of atoms
(b) J. J. Thomson (ii) Stationary orbits
(c) Dalton (iii) Concept of nucleus
(d) Neils Bohr (iv) Discovery of electrons
(e) James Chadwick (v) Atomic number
(f) E. Goldstein (vi) Neutron
(g) Mosley (vii) Canal rays

Answer: (a) (iii)    (b) (iv)    (c) (i)    (d) (ii)    (e) (vi)    (f) (vii)    (g) (v)
31. The atomic number of calcium and argon are 20 and 18 respectively, but the mass number of both these elements
is 40. What is the name given to such a pair of elements?
Answer: Such a pair of elements which have different atomic numbers, but the same mass number are called isobars.
32. Complete Table 4.1 on the basis of information available in the symbols given below.
(a) 3517Cl (b) 126C (c) 81
35
Br

Table 4.1
Element np nn

Answer: Mass number = number of neutrons + number of protons

Atomic number = number of protons
∴ Number of neutrons = mass number – atomic number

Element np nn
(a) Cl (chlorine) 17 35 – 17 = 18
(b) C (carbon) 6 12 – 6 = 6
(c) Br (bromine) 35 81 – 35 = 46

33. Helium atom has 2 electrons in its valence shell, but its valency is not 2. Explain.
Answer: Helium has 2 electrons in its outermost shell. Since its valence shell is complete, its valency is 0.
34. Fill in the blanks in the following statements.
(a) Rutherford’s α-particle scattering experiment led to the discovery of the .
(b) Isotopes have same but different .
 8 Exemplar Plus Science

(c) Neon and chlorine have atomic numbers 10 and 17 respectively. Their valencies will be and
respectively.
(d) The electronic configuration of silicon is and that of sulphur is .
Answer: (a) atomic nucleus (b) atomic number, mass number
   (c) 0 and 1 (d) (silicon) 2,8,4; (sulphur) 2,8,6
35. An element X has a mass number 4 and atomic number 2. Write the valency of this element.
Answer: The atomic number of X is 2, which means one atom of X has 2 electrons. Hence the valency of X is 0
since its K shell, the valence shell, is complete.

Long Answer Questions

36. Why do Helium, Neon and Argon have a zero valency?
Answer: The atomic number of helium is 2, that of argon 10 and that of neon is 18. Helium has 2 electrons
in its valence shell and hence the valence shell is complete. Argon and neon have 8 electrons in their valence
shells, thus making them complete. Hence helium, neon and argon have complete valence shells. So, they
have a valency 0 and do not react with other elements.

Tip
The inert gases (helium, argon, neon, krypton, xenon and radon) all have complete valence shells and hence
zero valency.

37. The ratio of the radii of hydrogen atom and its nucleus is ~ 105. Assuming the atom and the nucleus to be spherical,
(i) What will be the ratio of their sizes?
(ii) If atom is represented by planet earth ‘Re’ = 6.4 × 106 m, estimate the size of the nucleus.
Answer: (a) Let the radius of the nucleus of the hydrogen atom = r
∴ Radius of the hy ⇒ drogen atom = r × 105
4
As the nucleus and atom are to be considered to be spherical, the volume can be calculated as p (radius)3
3
4
Volume of the nucleus = ⇒ r3
3
4 4
Volume of the atom = ⇒ (r × 105)3 = ⇒ r3(1015)
3 3
4 4
Ratio of the sizes = volume of the atom : volume of the nucleus = ⇒ r3(1015) : ⇒ r3 = 1015 : 1
3 3
(b) If the size of the atom is represented by Re, radius of the atom = 6.4 × 106 m
6.4 ×10 6
∴ Radius of the nucleus = = 6.4 ×10 = 64 m
10 5

38. Enlist the conclusions drawn by Rutherford from his α-ray scattering experiment.
Answer: Rutherford concluded the following from his α-ray scattering experiment.
(a) Since most of the α-particles passed through the gold foil without getting deflected, most of the space inside
the atom is empty.
 Structure of the Atom 9

(b) Since very few particles were deflected on hitting the gold foil, the positive charge within the atom occupies
very little space.
(c) A very small fraction of the α-particles were deflected by an angle of 180° which suggested that the positive
charge and mass of the gold atom is concentrated in a very small space inside the atom.
From the data he also calculated that the radius of the atom is about 105 greater than that of the nucleus.
39. In what way is the Rutherford’s atomic model different from that of Thomson’s atomic model?
Answer: According to Rutherford’s atomic model, there is a positively charged centre in the atom called nucleus.
Electrons revolve around the nucleus in well defined paths called orbits. He also proposed that nearly all the
mass of the atom is concentrated inside the nucleus, which is very small compared to the size of the atom.
Thomson proposed the model of an atom to be similar to a Christmas pudding. The electrons are studded in a
positively charged sphere like currants in a spherical Christmas pudding, the mass of the atom being uniformly
distributed.
40. What were the drawbacks of Rutherford’s model of an atom?
Answer: Rutherford’s model of an atom could not account for the stability of an atom. Rutherford proposed that
the electrons revolve around the positively charged nucleus in fixed circular orbits. In that case, the electrons,
like any object in motion in a circular path, would undergo acceleration, radiating energy as they moved.
Subsequently they would lose their energy and fall into the nucleus. This makes the atom very unstable and
matter would not exist the way we know it to.
41. What are the postulates of Bohr’s model of an atom?
Answer: The following are the postulates of Bohr’s atomic model.
(a) Only certain special discrete orbits are allowed inside the atom.
(b) As long as the electron revolves in these discrete orbits, they do not radiate energy.
(c) These discrete orbits are called energy levels and are represented by the letters K, L, M, N, … or the numbers
1,2,3,4, … .
42. Show diagramatically the electron distributions in a sodium atom and a sodium ion and also give their atomic
number.
Answer: Sodium has an atomic number 11 ⇒ Number of protons in 1 atom of sodium = 11
Since atoms are electrically neutral, a sodium atom will have an equal number of protons and electrons. Thus, a
sodium atom has 11 electrons. Hence the electronic configuration of a sodium atom is 2,8,1.
A sodium ion of charge +1 is formed when the sodium atom loses the one electron from the outermost M shell.
Hence a sodium ion will have 11 – 1 = 10 electrons with an electronic configuration of 2,8.
The atomic number of an element is equal to the number of protons in one atom of the element. Since both the
sodium atom and sodium ion have 11 protons each, the atomic number of both the atom and the ion is 11.

M
11 p K L 11 p
12 n 12 n

Sodium atom Sodium ion

10 Exemplar Plus Science

43. In the Gold foil experiment of Geiger and Marsden, that paved the way for Rutherford’s model of an atom,
~ 1.00% of the α-particles were found to deflect at angles > 50°. If one mole of α-particles were bombarded
on the gold foil, compute the number of α-particles that would deflect at angles less than 50°.
Answer: 1% of the α-particles were found to deflect at angles > 50° ⇒ 99% of the α-particles would deflect
at angles less than 50°.
Quantity of α-particles bombarded = 1 mole
1 mole of α-particles will contain 6.022 × 1023 particles.
∴ Number of particles deflected at angles less than 50° = 99% of 6.022 × 1023 particles
99
= × 6.022 ×10 23 = 5.96 ×10 23
100