Atomic Structure Quiz

Atoms consist of subatomic particles, which are the components of atoms.

Particles smaller than the atom, carrying electrical charge.

Negatively charged subatomic particle.

Positively charged radiations discovered in experiments.

Representations of how subatomic particles are arranged in an atom.

Particles carrying positive or negative electrical charges.

The structure of atoms evolved from experiments with electrical charges.

Fundamental building blocks of matter.

An experiment by Rutherford where alpha particles were fired at a thin gold foil, revealing the structure of the atom.

Fast-moving, positively charged particles with high energy, used in Rutherford's experiment.

The model of the atom where a positively charged nucleus is surrounded by negatively charged electrons.

Rutherford chose gold foil because it was thin enough to allow alpha particles to pass through and reveal the atom's internal structure.

When alpha particles pass through gold foil, some deflected off instead of going straight through, revealing the presence of a dense positive core.

Deflection is changing direction. In Rutherford's experiment, alpha particles deflected off a small, dense area in the atom, revealing the nucleus.

Alpha particles were expected to pass through the atom because early models suggested atoms were mostly empty space with evenly distributed charge.

Electrons found in the outermost shell of an atom. These electrons are involved in chemical bonding.

The outermost shell of an atom can accommodate a maximum of 8 electrons. This rule is known as the octet rule.

Atoms with a completely filled outermost shell have little chemical activity. They are considered stable and tend not to form bonds readily.

The number of electrons an atom can gain, lose, or share to achieve a stable configuration. It's also known as valency.

Electrons are filled in shells in a specific order. Inner shells must be filled before electrons can be added to outer shells.

Atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but differ in the number of neutrons.

Isotopes of the same element have identical chemical properties, meaning they react the same way chemically.

Isotopes of the same element often have different physical properties, such as density, melting point, and boiling point.

The weighted average of the masses of all naturally occurring isotopes of an element. It takes into account the abundance of each isotope.

A specific isotope of uranium used as fuel in nuclear reactors.

An isotope of cobalt used in cancer therapy.

An isotope of iodine used in treating goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland.

Atoms of different elements with the same mass number, meaning they have the same total number of protons and neutrons.

The number of electrons an atom of an element can gain, lose, or share to achieve a stable outer shell configuration (often 8 electrons). This determines the element's bonding capacity.

The total number of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus. It represents the atom's overall mass.

Rutherford's alpha-particle scattering experiment led to the discovery of the atomic nucleus, a positively charged, dense region within an atom.

Isotopes of the same element have the same chemical properties (due to the same number of protons and electrons) but may have slightly different physical properties.

Thomson proposed a model where the atom was a sphere of positive charge with negatively charged electrons embedded in it, like a plum pudding.

Tincture iodine is a solution containing iodine, often in alcohol, used as an antiseptic (kills germs).

A neutron is a neutral subatomic particle found in the atom's nucleus. It is NOT formed by a combination of an electron and a proton.

Alpha particles were deflected because they encountered the positively charged nucleus in the atom, repelling them.

Rutherford's model couldn't explain why electrons don't lose energy and spiral into the nucleus, leading to atomic instability.

The positively charged center of an atom, containing protons and neutrons, with most of the atom's mass concentrated there.

Negatively charged particles that orbit the nucleus in an atom.

Rutherford was surprised because the results of the gold foil experiment went against the prevailing theory of the atom, suggesting a dense, positive center instead of a spread-out positive charge.

The nucleus is much smaller than the atom. Most of an atom's volume is empty space.