|
Atoms are the smallest building blocks of matter. There are about 100 naturally occurring types of atom. This chapter explains the ways in which atoms differ from one another.
Understandings Atoms contain a positively charged dense nucleus composed of protons and neutrons (nucleons). Negatively charged electrons occupy the space outside the nucleus. The mass spectrometer is used to determine the relative atomic mass
of an element from its isotopic composition. Applications and skills Use of the nuclear symbol notation AZX to deduce the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in atoms and ions. Calculations involving non-integer relative atomic masses and abundance
of isotopes from given data, including mass spectra. |
||
In Chapter 1.1