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2 Properties
of materials
2.1 Atomic structure and
the Periodic Table
2.1 Atomic structure
All parts of this exercise will help you to use the Periodic Table to find
information about the structure of the atoms of elements.
You will need to use the information in the Periodic Table to answer the
following questions.
metals 1 2
atomic number
H He
non-metals hydrogen helium
1 mass number 4
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Li Be B C N O F Ne
lithium beryllium boron carbon nitrogen oxygen fluorine neon
7 9 11 12 14 16 19 20
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar
sodium magnesium aluminium silicon phosphorus sulfur chlorine argon
23 24 27 28 31 32 35 40
19 20
K Ca
potassium calcium
39 40

Focus
The atoms of one element are di erent from the atoms of all other
elements. They have di erent atomic numbers and mass numbers.
The smaller number is the atomic number and the larger number is the
mass number.
1 What is the atomic number for magnesium? 12

2 What is the mass number for nitrogen? 14

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2.1 Atomic structure and the Periodic Table

3 Which element has the atomic number 13? Aluminium

4 Which element has the mass number 20? Neon

Atoms of di erent elements have di erent numbers of protons, neutrons

and electrons.
Look at this example:

Lithium
The atomic number
Atomic number = 3 tells you how many
Mass number = 7
3 protons there are.
Li
Number of protons = 3 lithium
7 The mass number tells
Number of neutrons = 7 − 3 = 4
you how many protons
Number of electrons = 3 (always the same plus neutrons there are.
as the number of protons)

5 Complete these numbers for a boron atom.

Boron
5
Atomic number =
11 5
Mass number = B
boron
Number of protons = 5
11
Number of neutrons = 11-5=6

Number of electrons = 5

Practice
6 The element carbon has an atomic number of 6 and a mass number
of 12.

a How many protons does a carbon atom have? 6

6
b How many electrons does a carbon atom have?

c How many neutrons does a carbon atom have? 6

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2 Properties of materials

d Draw and label the structure of an atom of carbon.

7 Complete the table.

Atomic Mass Electronic

Element Protons Neutrons Electrons
number number structure

beryllium 4 9 4 5 4 2,2

phosphorus 15 31 15 16 15 2,8,5

calcium 20 40 20 20 20 2,8,8,2

Challenge
8 As you move along the row in the Periodic Table from left to right,
and then along to the next row, the atomic number and the mass
number change.
Look carefully. Describes these changes.

The atomic number Atomic number increases by 1, if you move

across a period.

The mass number The mass number increases most of the times

except Argon and Potassium where it decreased by 1. The inecrease

is not in pattern.

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2.2 Trends in Groups within the Periodic Table

9 Which two elements have the same mass number?

Calcium and Argon

10 Name an element that is a gas and has the same number of

neutrons as protons.
Helium, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Neon (Anyone of these)

11 Complete the table and identify the element.

Element: Potassium
atomic number 19
mass number 39
number of protons 19
number of neutrons 20
number of electrons 19
electronic structure 2,8,8,1

2.2 Trends in Groups

within the Periodic Table
2.2A Elements in the same group
Focus
In this exercise you compare the structure of atoms in Group 1.
3
Li
lithium
7
11
Elements in the same group are similar.
Na
sodium Lithium, sodium and potassium are elements in Group 1.
23
19 They are all metals.
K
potassium
39

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2 Properties of materials

1 What can you say about the number of protons in these three
metals, as you look down the group?

The number of protons increases.

2 What can you say about the mass number of these three metals as
you look down the group?

The mass number usually increases.

• Lithium has electrons arranged in two shells.

• It has two electrons in the first (inner) shell,
3p 4n
and one in the second, outer shell.
• This is shown as 2,1.
It is called the electronic structure.
lithium

3 This diagram shows the structure of the sodium atom.

Complete these numbers for sodium:
11
Atomic number =
23
Mass number =

Number of protons = 11
11p 12n
Number of neutrons = 12

Number of electrons = 11
sodium

4 Write the electronic structure of sodium. 2,8,1

5 What is similar about the structures of an atom of lithium and an

atom of sodium?
Number of electrons in the outershell.

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2.2 Trends in Groups within the Periodic Table

6 This diagram shows the structure of the potassium atom. Complete these
numbers for potassium:

Atomic number = 19

Mass number = 39

Number of protons = 19
19p 20n
20
Number of neutrons =

Number of electrons = 19
potassium

7 Write the electronic structure of potassium 2,8,8,1

8 Compare the structure of the atoms of these three metals in Group1.

What is similar about their structure?
They all have one electron in their outer shell and two electrons

in their innermost shell.

9 What is di erent about the three atoms? Try to state two di erences.
Their atoms get larger if you go down the group because

number of shells increases. So number of protons inside the

nucleus and number of electrons in the shells also increase.

2.2B Trends in groups in the Periodic Table

Practice
This exercise will help you to identify trends in groups of the Periodic Table.

1 Explain what is meant by a ‘group’ in the Periodic Table.

Vertical columns in the periodic table.

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2 Properties of materials

2 This table contains some data about the elements in Group 7 of the
Periodic Table. The elements are given in descending order.

Atomic Mass Melting Boiling

Element Reactivity
number number point in °C point in °C

uorine 9 19 −220 −188 most reactive

chlorine 17 35 −101 −34

bromine 35 80 −7 59 less reactive

iodine 53

astatine 85

a What trends can you see in this group of the Periodic Table?
Melting and boiling points increase down the group.

Reactivity decreases down the group.

b Iodine is the fourth element in this group. Would you expect

the melting point of iodine to be higher or lower than that of
bromine?
The melting point of Iodine will be higher than Bromine.

c Would you expect iodine to be a solid, a liquid or a gas at

room temperature? Give a reason for your answer.
Solid, as the melting point of Iodine is most likely to be greater
than the room temperature.
d Would you expect iodine to have a higher or lower boiling
point than astatine? Give a reason for your answer.
According to the trend in the table, iodine should have much
lower boiling point than astatine.
e Would you expect astatine to be more or less reactive than iodine?

Less reactive than iodine as reactivity decreases down the group.

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2.3 Why elements react to form compounds

2.3 Why elements react

to form compounds
2.3A Atoms and ions
Focus
This exercise will help you to show the di erence between an atom and an ion.

1 This diagram shows the structure of a lithium atom.

Label the electron shell with the highest energy level.

electron shell with the

highest energy level

2 Draw a diagram to show the structure of a lithium ion.

3 The symbol for a lithium atom is Li. What is the symbol for a
lithium ion?
Li+

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2 Properties of materials

4 This diagram shows the structure of a fluorine atom.

Draw a diagram to show the structure of a fluorine ion.

5 The symbol for a fluorine atom is F. What is the symbol for a

fluorine ion?
F-

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2.3 Why elements react to form compounds

2.3B Why do ions form?

Practice
In this exercise you will practice drawing atoms and ions and explain
why ions form.

1 Using the information here, draw atoms and ions of sodium and
chlorine in the spaces below.

sodium chlorine
atomic number 11 atomic number 17
mass number 23 mass number 35
sodium atom: chlorine atom:

sodium ion: chlorine ion:

2 How are the electrons in an atom held in place?

The electrons are held in shells due to electrostatic force of attraction
between protons and electrons.
3 Why are ions formed?
When an atom loses or gain electron to complete its outer shell

and it gets stable, the atom gets a positive or negative charge called ion.

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2 Properties of materials

2.3C Forming ionic compounds

Challenge
In this exercise you will draw diagrams to illustrate the formation of
ionic compounds.
1 When calcium reacts with chlorine the compound calcium chloride
is formed. The formula for calcium chloride is CaCl2.

Information you may need:

Calcium has an atomic number of 20 and a mass number of 40.
Chlorine has an atomic number of 17 and a mass number of 35.

a Draw diagrams to show the structures of calcium and chlorine

atoms. Make sure you label the calcium and chlorine atoms.

Chlorine atom
Calcium atom
b Draw diagrams to show the ions of calcium and chlorine.
Make sure you label the calcium and chlorine ions.

Chlorine ion
Calcium ion

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2.4 Simple and giant structures

c Explain why the formula for calcium chloride is CaCl2.

You may use diagrams to help you explain.
Calcium atom loses two electrons which are gained by

two chlorine atoms because one chlorine atom completes

its outer shell after gaining one electron.

2.4 Simple and giant structures

2.4A Ionic or covalent bonds
Focus
This exercise will help you to distinguish between ionic and covalent
substances.
Look at the diagrams that show the structures of two substances A and B.

Covalent bonding

Substance A Substance B

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2 Properties of materials

1 What type of bonding do you think substance A has?

Give a reason for your answer.
Ionic bonding, because cations and anions are packed in patterns.

2 On the illustration above label substance B to show where there are

strong forces.

3 Which substance has bonds where electrons are shared?

Substance B

4 Which substance has a lattice structure? Substance A

5 A substance when dissolved in water conducts electricity.

What type of bonding does it have?
Ionic bonding

6 Some giant structures are called macromolecules.

What type of bonding do they have?
Covalent bonding

7 Give an example of a macromolecule.

Diamond, Graphite, Silicon dioxide (Anyone of them)

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2.4 Simple and giant structures

2.4B Properties of ionic and covalent substances

Practice
In this exercise you will identify properties of substances linked to
their structures.
Look carefully at the table and answer the questions.

solid, liquid or Ionic or simple

Melting point Boiling point
Substance gas at room molecule with
in °C in °C
temperature? covalent bonds
potassium
770 1500
chloride

substance X −182 −161

calcium
solid ionic
chloride

ammonia −77 −34

magnesium
2825 3600
oxide

bromine −7 59

simple molecule with

substance Y 0 100 liquid
covalent bonds

1 Calcium chloride is an ionic compound that is solid at room temperature.

What does that tell you about its melting and boiling points?
Its melting and boiling points are high.

2 Is substance X a solid, liquid or gas at room temperature?

A gas,

3 List the substances that are solids at room temperature.

Potassium chloride, calcium chloride and magnesium oxide

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2 Properties of materials

4 List the substances, other than substance Y, that have simple

molecules with covalent bonds.
Ammonia and bromine

5 Suggest what substance Y is. Give a reason for your suggestion.

Water, as it melting point is 0 and boiling point is 100oC

6 Which substance, other than substance Y, is a liquid at

room temperature?
Bromine

7 Explain why magnesium oxide has high melting and boiling points.
Magnesium oxide has high melting and boiling points because it is an ionic compound.
The ions have strong forces holding them together in a lattice pattern.This means that

a lot of energy is neededto overcome these forces and make the magnesium oxide
melt or boil.
8 Explain why ammonia has low melting and boiling points.
Ammonia has low melting and boiling points because, although the forces inside
the molecules are strong, the forces between the molecules are weak and less energy

is needed to overcome these intermolecular forces and make the ammonia melt or boil.

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