S1.2 The nuclear atom

Explain the Rutherford experiment

Structure of an atom

Relative mass and charge of subatomic particles

Nuclear symbol notation

Isotopes

• Atoms of the same element with a different number of neutrons

• Isotopes of the same element behave similarly in chemical reaction, but have different physical properties

Effects of isotopic mass on physical properties

More mass and density = Higher mp & bp, and slower rate of diffusion

Relative atomic mass

Weighted average mass of an atom of an element compared to 1/12th of the mass of a C-12 atom

Why is relative atomic mass calculated using 1/12th the mass of C-12

Relative atomic mass formula

Mass spectrometer

Instrument used to determine the abundance of isotopes of an element based on its mass-to-charge(m/z) ratio of ions within a sample

How does mass spectrometry work?

Explain mass spectra of diatomic Chlorine