ATOMS AND IONS
Atoms are the smallest unit of an element. An element is something that cannot be broken down into smaller units.
Atoms are made up of protons and neutrons in the nucleus and electrons orbiting around.
Protons have mass and a charge of positive 1.
Neutrons have a mass of 1 but no charge. Their job seems to be to keep the positive charges from “blowing apart” after being crammed together in such a small space. This is the source of nuclear energy, nuclear power, and so on. It is the breaking of a nucleus that releases nuclear energy.
It is the nucleus that gives an element its physical properties. What I mean is that lead is gray, solid at room temperature, soft, metallic—all that is caused by the nucleus. Some elements are liquids or gas or solids. Some are flaky, hard, white, yellow, etc. All these characteristics are caused by the nucleus.
On the other hand, the electrons have a negative charge, no mass, and orbit around the nucleus. If the nucleus of hydrogen were the period at the end of the last sentence, the electron would be perhaps as far away as…well, a long way away, several blocks away anyway. They hardly know each other! Electrons travel at…well the speed of light. It is the electrons that control the behavior of the atom. There are specific orbits for the electrons—kind of like lanes in a swimming pool. You can only put so many in a lane and they are usually supposed to stay in their own lanes—somewhat like a relay.
If the lanes are full, the atom is pretty satisfied and not too reactive—like gold. It doesn’t react with very many things.
Oxygen, on the other hand is always on the hunt for more swimmers—I mean electrons. So stuff rusts, corrodes, our bodies get sick (that is why we take or eat antioxidants—anti electron stealers!)
If the atom goes to a party, the attitude or the electrons get there first—remember several blocks from the nucleus. Regardless of how nice the nucleus is, if the electrons have a bad attitude, the party can be ruined.
Sodium has one electron in its outer shell. Nobody likes to have one pesky electron hanging around in its outer shell. It would be far better to get rid of it and have a full outer shell. Of course doing so would leave the negative charges of the electrons in less supply than the number of positive protons in the nucleus. The atom would then have a positive charge (one more proton than electron). Apparently that is better than that pesky electron hanging around by itself in the outer shell.
If we could have sodium in pure form and throw it into water, it would burst into flame. Now THAT is an attitude.
Chlorine has the other problem. Chlorine needs one more electron to complete its outer shell. It is not so easy to get rid of all those electrons, but maybe it isn’t too hard to find an electron to pick up. Chlorine kills stuff. It does so by stealing electrons from living things. Once electrons are gone, enzymes can’t work, and so on—stuff dies. It also whitens by removing electrons from things that have color—rendering them colorless.
Guess what happens when sodium and chlorine show up at the same party. Uh-huh. There is a big blow up, chlorine steals sodium’s “extra” electron, sodium ends up with a positive charge and chlorine with a negative charge, but both calm down and go their way as sodium chloride (table salt). No more bursting into flames, no more killing things. This is called forming an ionic bond.
Figure 1. Ionic Bond Formation
An ionic bond occurs when atoms exchange electrons completely and go their own ways as ions (charged particles).
Oh, oh that reminds me of a joke. This sodium ion tells his sodium atom friend, “Hey, I think I lost an electron!”
His friend says, “Are you sure?”
He says, “I’m POSITIVE.” Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…get it, he lost an electron and now he is POSITIVEly charged. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…I crack myself up.
Well that is enough for right now. This is highly confidential stuff so no sharing, okay. You get the good grade and let everybody else figure out on their own.
Atoms are the smallest unit of an element. An element is something that cannot be broken down into smaller units.
Atoms are made up of protons and neutrons in the nucleus and electrons orbiting around.
Protons have mass and a charge of positive 1.
Neutrons have a mass of 1 but no charge. Their job seems to be to keep the positive charges from “blowing apart” after being crammed together in such a small space. This is the source of nuclear energy, nuclear power, and so on. It is the breaking of a nucleus that releases nuclear energy.
It is the nucleus that gives an element its physical properties. What I mean is that lead is gray, solid at room temperature, soft, metallic—all that is caused by the nucleus. Some elements are liquids or gas or solids. Some are flaky, hard, white, yellow, etc. All these characteristics are caused by the nucleus.
On the other hand, the electrons have a negative charge, no mass, and orbit around the nucleus. If the nucleus of hydrogen were the period at the end of the last sentence, the electron would be perhaps as far away as…well, a long way away, several blocks away anyway. They hardly know each other! Electrons travel at…well the speed of light. It is the electrons that control the behavior of the atom. There are specific orbits for the electrons—kind of like lanes in a swimming pool. You can only put so many in a lane and they are usually supposed to stay in their own lanes—somewhat like a relay.
If the lanes are full, the atom is pretty satisfied and not too reactive—like gold. It doesn’t react with very many things.
Oxygen, on the other hand is always on the hunt for more swimmers—I mean electrons. So stuff rusts, corrodes, our bodies get sick (that is why we take or eat antioxidants—anti electron stealers!)
If the atom goes to a party, the attitude or the electrons get there first—remember several blocks from the nucleus. Regardless of how nice the nucleus is, if the electrons have a bad attitude, the party can be ruined.
Sodium has one electron in its outer shell. Nobody likes to have one pesky electron hanging around in its outer shell. It would be far better to get rid of it and have a full outer shell. Of course doing so would leave the negative charges of the electrons in less supply than the number of positive protons in the nucleus. The atom would then have a positive charge (one more proton than electron). Apparently that is better than that pesky electron hanging around by itself in the outer shell.
If we could have sodium in pure form and throw it into water, it would burst into flame. Now THAT is an attitude.
Chlorine has the other problem. Chlorine needs one more electron to complete its outer shell. It is not so easy to get rid of all those electrons, but maybe it isn’t too hard to find an electron to pick up. Chlorine kills stuff. It does so by stealing electrons from living things. Once electrons are gone, enzymes can’t work, and so on—stuff dies. It also whitens by removing electrons from things that have color—rendering them colorless.
Guess what happens when sodium and chlorine show up at the same party. Uh-huh. There is a big blow up, chlorine steals sodium’s “extra” electron, sodium ends up with a positive charge and chlorine with a negative charge, but both calm down and go their way as sodium chloride (table salt). No more bursting into flames, no more killing things. This is called forming an ionic bond.
Figure 1. Ionic Bond Formation
An ionic bond occurs when atoms exchange electrons completely and go their own ways as ions (charged particles).
Oh, oh that reminds me of a joke. This sodium ion tells his sodium atom friend, “Hey, I think I lost an electron!”
His friend says, “Are you sure?”
He says, “I’m POSITIVE.” Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…get it, he lost an electron and now he is POSITIVEly charged. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…I crack myself up.
Well that is enough for right now. This is highly confidential stuff so no sharing, okay. You get the good grade and let everybody else figure out on their own.
