Definition of an Atom

 Atom: The smallest unit of matter that retains the identity of the substance. Everything
around us is made up of atoms. They are the basic building blocks of all matter.
 Matter is anything which occupies space and has a mass.

Subatomic Particles of an Atom

Atoms are composed of three main subatomic particles:
 Protons
o Charge: Positively charged (+).

o Location: Found in the nucleus (center) of the atom.

o Mass: They have a significant mass, similar to neutrons.

o Role: The number of protons in the nucleus defines the element. For example,
an atom with 1 proton is hydrogen, an atom with 2 protons is helium, and so on.
 Neutrons
o Charge: Neutral (no charge).

o Location: Also found in the nucleus of the atom, alongside protons.

o Mass: Neutrons have a mass similar to protons, contributing to the overall mass
of the atom.
o Role: Neutrons help stabilize the nucleus. Atoms of the same element can have
different numbers of neutrons, leading to different isotopes.
 Electrons
o Charge: Negatively charged (−).

o Location: Move around the nucleus in regions called electron shells or orbits.

o Mass: Electrons have a very small mass, about 1/1836th that of a proton or
neutron, making them almost negligible in terms of mass.
o Role: Electrons are involved in chemical reactions and bond formation. The
number of electrons usually equals the number of protons, making the atom
electrically neutral.

Structure of an Atom
 Nucleus: The dense central core of the atom containing protons and neutrons. It
carries most of the atom's mass.
 Electron Shells: The electrons are arranged in specific regions around the nucleus
called shells or energy levels. These shells can hold a certain number of electrons:
o 1st shell: Can hold up to 2 electrons.

o 2nd shell: Can hold up to 8 electrons.

o 3rd shell: Can hold up to 18 electrons.

 Atomic Number and Mass Number
 Atomic Number: The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. It determines the
element's identity.
 Mass Number: The total number of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus.
Mass no. = No. of protons + no. of neutrons

Salient features of Dalton’s Atomic Theory

 The matter is composed of minute particles known as atoms.
 Atoms are indivisible particles that can’t be destroyed or created through chemical
reactions.
 All atoms of an element have identical chemical properties and mass whereas, atoms
of different elements have different chemical properties and masses.

Rutherford’s Alpha Scattering Experiment

 Conducted by Ernest Rutherford in 1909 to understand the structure of the atom.
Key Postulates of Rutherford’s Experiment
1. Most of the Atom is Empty Space:
o When alpha particles (positively charged particles) were directed at a thin gold
foil, most of them passed straight through without any deflection.
o This suggested that atoms are mostly empty space.

2. Nucleus at the Center:

o A small number of alpha particles were deflected at large angles, and a few even
bounced back.
o This indicated the presence of a dense, positively charged center within the
atom, which he called the nucleus.
3. Nucleus is Positively Charged:
o The alpha particles that were deflected had come close to or hit the nucleus,
which is positively charged, repelling the positively charged alpha particles.
4. Electrons Orbit the Nucleus:
 o Rutherford proposed that electrons orbit around this dense nucleus, similar to
how planets orbit the sun.

Elements
An element is a pure substance that consists of only one type of atom.
Elements are the building blocks of matter, meaning everything around us is made
from elements, either on their own or combined with other elements. There are 118
known elements, and they are organized in the Periodic Table of Elements.

Chemical Symbols
It is difficult to use names of elements in all the situations. There was a need for International
menthod to identify elements. Hence Scientists have given symbols to denote the elements.
 Generally symbols of element is represented by the first letter of their names.
For example, Hydrogen- H, Nitrogen- H, Carbon- C,
 If the names of the two elements begins with the same letter, then first two letters are
used for the symbol. In this case the first letter is written in capital and the second
letter is written in small.
For example: Aluminum- Al, Silicon- S, Cobalt- Co
 If the first two letters are same for two or more elements then the next prominent letter
is used.
For example: Cadmium- Cd, Magnesium- Mg
 Symbols for some of the elements are derived from their old Latin names.
Chemical symbols of few elements:
 Hydrogen - H
 Helium - He
 Lithium - Li
 Beryllium - Be
 Boron - B
 Carbon - C
 Nitrogen - N
 Oxygen - O
 Fluorine - F
 Neon - Ne
 Sodium - Na
 Magnesium - Mg
 Aluminum - Al
 Silicon - Si
 Phosphorus - P
 Sulfur - S
 Chlorine - Cl
 Argon – Ar
 Potassium - K
 Calcium – Ca
 Iron – Fe
 Copper- Cu
 Zinc- Zn
 Iodine- I
 What Are Compounds?

Definition:

 A compound is a substance formed when two or more different elements are

chemically bonded together. The elements in a compound are always present in fixed
proportions.

Key Points:

1. Composition:

o Compounds are made up of atoms of different elements combined in specific

ratios. For example, water (H₂O) is a compound made of two hydrogen atoms
bonded to one oxygen atom.

2.

3. Chemical Bonds:

o The atoms in a compound are held together by chemical bonds.

4. Properties of Compounds:

o Compounds have different properties from the elements that make them up. For
example, sodium (a metal) and chlorine (a gas) combine to form sodium chloride
(table salt), which is solid and safe to eat.

Naming compounds
Each compound has a chemical name. The chemical name usually tells us the elements that
the compound is made from.
There are some important rules to remember when naming compounds.
1. If the compound contains a metal, then the name of the metal comes first the name of the
compound. If the compound contains a non-metal, the name of the nonmetal is usually
changed.
For example, the compound made from sodium and chlorine is not sodium chlorine, but
sodium chloride.
When two elements form a compound the name often end in ‘ide’.

2. Some compounds contain two diff erent elements, plus a third element – oxygen. These
compounds often have names ending with ‘ate’.

For example, a compound of calcium, carbon and oxygen is called calcium carbonate.

3. Sometimes, the name of a compound tells us how many of each kind of atom are bonded
together.
Carbon dioxide is made up of molecules in which one carbon atom is joined to two oxygen
atoms. ‘Di’ means ‘two’. Carbon monoxide is made up of molecules in which one carbon atom
is joined to one oxygen atom. ‘Mon’ or ‘mono’ means ‘one’.

4. OH group is called as Hydroxyl group.

For example: the name of the compound which contains Potassium and hydroxyl group will be
named as Potassium Hydroxide(KOH)

Using formulae

Every compound has a chemical name. For example, the compound of sodium and chlorine is
called sodium chloride.
Every compound also has a formula. The formula contains the symbols of the elements that
are bonded together in the compound.
The table shows the chemical names and formulae of five compounds.

The little number written below and to the right of some symbols tells you how many atoms of
each element are found in one molecule of the compound. If there is no number, that means
there is just one atom of that element.