They consist of
three particles: the
proton, neutron and
electron.
electrons have a -1 charge.
electrons 'whizz' around
the nucleus of the atom
in 'orbitals'.
their relative mass is: 1/2000
protons have a +1
charge
Relative mass: 1
neutrons
don't have a
charge!
Relative mass: 1
Nuclear Symbols
you can work out the no. of protons,
neutrons and electrons from the
nuclear symbol
mass number: the
number of protons
and neutrons in the
atom's nucleus
atomic (proton)
number:
number of
protons in the
atom.
all atoms of the same
element have the same
proton number!
Atoms and Ions
neutral atoms (no charge) have the same electron and proton
number.
the neutron number is
just the mass no.
minus the atomic no.,
i.e. "the top minus the
bottom" (Nuclear Symbols)
Ions
Ions have different no. of protons and electrons.
Negative ions (e.g. Br-) have
more electrons than protons.
Positive ions (e.g. Mg2+) have more protons than electrons.
Exam Tip: Ions
Ions are easy to spot: they always have a plus or
minus charge (+ or -) next to them! If the charge is
a plus, it means an electron has been lost, e.g.
Mg2+ means that the Magnesium ion has lost two
electrons. If there is a minus sign, it means
electrons have been gained. For example, 3-
means 3 electrons have been lost!
Isotopes
isotope isn't just a scary science word,
nope! Isotopes of an element are atoms
with the same proton no., but different
neutron number.
basically atoms with the same
no. of protons but different
neutron no. are isotopes.
different
isotopes of the
same element
react
(chemically) the
same way