Build An Atom Simulation Build Ions and Isotopes Introduction: Atoms are the smallest things that make up all matters. Atoms are made of three subatomic particles; protons, neutrons, and electrons. In this activity, you will build atoms, ions, isotopes using subatomic particle. 1. What 2 sub-atomic particles have charges? List the particle name and its charge. 2. What does the term neutral mean? Let s begin the activity! Set-up: 1. Go to the following website: http://phet.colorado.edu 2. In the search box type in: build an atom 3. Under the simulations click the first link named build an atom 4. Click the green Run Now button below the large image to start the application. Settings: Expand the Symbol, Mass Number and Net Charge boxes. Check off all three boxes on the bottom right corner if they are not; Show element name, Show neutral/ion, Show stable/unstable. Make sure the Model is in Orbits not Cloud. Play around with the simulation for a bit to become familiarize with the controls and functions. You can add particles to your atom by dragging them into the atom model. Note that when particles are added to your model you can see if the atom is stable or unstable (labeled in the center), and if it is neutral or an ion (labeled on the outer rings). An ion means there is an overall charge to the atom. When you are ready to start the exercise, press the Reset All button in the bottom right corner to clear any changes. Part 1. Basic Atom Structure 1. Where are the electrons located inside of the atom? Make sure that the simulation is set to the orbital model. The model shows two orbits, which we often call energy levels. The first energy level is the one closest to the nucleus, and the second is furthest away. 2. How many electrons can fit in the first energy level? 3. Can you ever have more than this number in the first energy level? Can you ever have less?
4. How many electrons can fit in the second energy level? 5. Build some atoms, and write down examples that have a stable nucleus and neutral charge. Use different colours to identify protons, neutrons, and electrons. Include a colour key below. KEY: Be sure to draw the electrons in the correct energy levels. Picture of Atom 6. The atomic number on the Periodic Table will tell you how many protons are in the nucleus of each atom. From your observations, how can you predict the number of electrons in a neutral atom? Explain you answer. 7. Without using the simulation, draw atoms you have not yet made in the simulation that have stable nucleus and neutral charge. Only pick an element in the first two rows of the periodic table. Picture of Atom
Part 2. Making Ions Not all atoms are neutral. Many have a charge. Some are more positive and some are more negative. We call the charge on such an atom the net charge, or total charge. 1. Ions are atoms of the same element with different numbers of. 2. An atom with the same number of protons and electrons has a charge of. 3. What are the two types of ions and what are their charges? 4. Show the full standard atomic notation for the above atom in the box at the right 5. What does the upper-left number in the symbol represent? 6. What does the lower-left number in the symbol represent? 7. Make a neutral Beryllium atom. What would you do to make a beryllium atom with a negative charge? 8. Make the neutral Beryllium atom again. What would you do to make a beryllium atom with a positive charge? 9. Expand the box labeled Net Charge. Pick an element, and make two example of the same element with different charges in the table below. Include what the charge is (sign and number), and how many protons and electrons are in the atom. Name of element: _ Example 1 _ Example 2 10. What did you do to change Example 1 to Example 2?
11. Based on your observations, make a rule or formula to predict the charge of the atom if you are given the number of protons and electrons. 12. Now you will practice building some specific elements. In the table below, some of the information is filled out about a particular atom. Complete the table below by filling in the blanks and drawing the picture of that atom. Picture of Atom Electrons: 10 Name: Oxygen Electrons: 2 Protons: 3 Name: Fluorine Symbol: F Charge: 1
Protons: 1 Charge: +1 Electrons: 2 Symbol: B Use the periodic table to answer the questions below 1. All Zinc atoms have (how many?) protons. 2. If a Copper atom has no charge (neutral), it would contain (how many?) electrons. 3. All atoms that have 14 protons are (what element?). 4. If an atom of Zinc has a mass of 64, it has (how many?) neutrons. 5. Silver-108 has a mass of 108. This means that it would have (how many?) neutrons with its 47 protons. 6. 23 11 Na (Sodium) has (how many?) protons and (how many?) neutrons for a total mass of 23. 7. A -1 ion of Bromine would have protons and electrons. 8. A +2 ion of Calcium would have protons and electrons. 9. To form an ion with a -2 charge, an atom of Sulfur would need to have electrons. 10. A neutral atom of Zinc-66 has protons, neutrons, and electrons. Do you really get it? Do you know your stuff?? Play the Game! On the top there is another tab labeled Game. Click on the tab. With your partner(s) pick a level and work together through the questions! Close the PhET window for build an atom Part 3. Making Isotopes Set-up:
1. Stay on the same website. In the search box type in: isotopes. 2. Under the simulations click the first link named Isotopes and Atomic mass. 3. Click the green Run Now button below the large image to start the application. Settings: Expand the Symbol and Abundance in Nature. Make sure the Mass Number is selected. Play around with the simulation for a bit to become familiarize with the controls and functions. You can add particles to your atom by dragging them into the atom model. Note that when particles are added to your model you can see if the atom is stable or unstable (labeled in the center). When you are ready to start the exercise, press the Reset All button in the bottom right corner to clear any changes. 1. The chemical symbol for hydrogen is H. What two pieces of information can you get from the red in the lower left-hand corner of the chemical symbol? 2. Return to the hydrogen atom and add a neutron to the atom. Does the red number change? (Yes/No) 3. What two meanings can be given to the black number of the chemical symbol? 4. What effect does adding a neutron have on the atom s identity? 5. What effect does adding a neutron have on the atom s mass? 1 2 6. Which isotope is more abundant in nature, 1H or 1H? 7. Click on the helium (He) chemical symbol in the Periodic Table. Remove the two neutrons by dragging them to the neutron bin. 2 a. What can you state about the stability and abundance of 2He? b. Does the addition of a neutron help stabilize the helium nucleus? (Yes/No) c. Complete the following data table Isotope Chemical Symbol Helium - 3 Helium - 4 Helium - 5 (Atomic Number) Number of protons Number of neutrons Number of electrons Mass Number Natural Abundance 8. Draw the nucleus of the most abundant isotope of each of the following atoms in the boxes below. Be sure to count and label the protons and neutrons. Also show the full standard atomic notation.
Hydrogen: H Carbon: C Oxygen: O Neon: Ne 1 1 H 9. Complete the chart below. In some cases, you will need to work backwards to fill out missing information. Isotope Name Hydrogen-2 Atomic Number # of Protons # of Neutrons Mass Number Stable? (Y/N) Helium-3 Lithium-6 Oxygen-16 3 3 4 7 Oxygen-17 Neon-23 8 10 18 10 20 Atom, ion: http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/build-an-atom Isotopes: http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/isotopes-and-atomic-mass