Tuesday, July 13, 2010
IONS & CHEMICAL BONDINGIONS are atoms with either extra electrons or missing electrons. A normal atom is called a neutral atom. That term describes an atom with a number of electrons equal to the atomic number.IONS have either a positive or negative charge, depending on whether they have more electrons than protons or less. Since they are no longer neutral, they cannot be called atoms anymore.IONS are created when atoms try to gain or lose electrons to achieve stability. Stability refers to having the maximum number of electrons in their outermost shell.Elements bond when they become ions, by 'exchanging' or 'sharing' electrons.e.g.1: Sodium Chloride (NaCl)Sodium needs to lose one electron in order to achieve stability, while chlorine needs to gain one electron. Sodium then gives its unwanted electron to chlorine so that they both can achieve stability. This bond is between a metal element and a non-metal element, therefore it is an ionic bond.e.g.2: Hydrogen (H2)
Each hydrogen atom has one electron, but it needs two to fill up its shell. So, two hydrogen atoms can bond by sharing their one electron with each other, allowing both to become stable. this is known as a covalent bond, as it is between two non-metals.http://www.chem4kids.com/files/atom_ions.html
your name @ 10:02 PM | your comment link
ISOTOPESAn ISOTOPE is an atom that has missing neutrons or extras neutrons. An atom is still the same element if it is missing a neutron. They are just a little different from every other atom of the same element. Take carbon for example:There are a lot of carbon atoms in the universe. The normal ones are carbon-12. These atoms have 6 neutrons. There are a few straggler atoms that don't have 6. Those odd ones may have 7 or even 8 neutrons. As you learn more chemistry, you will probably hear about carbon-14. Carbon-14 actually has 8 neutrons (2 extra). C-14 is considered an isotope of the element carbon.
http://www.chem4kids.com/files/atom_isotopes.html
your name @ 9:06 PM | your comment link
Friday, July 9, 2010
ATOMS & MOLECULES
ATOMS are the basic building blocks of everything you can see around you, and even lots of things you can't see, like the air that you breathe. Atoms are so small that there are millions and billions and trillions in the tiniest speck you can see. Solids, liquids, gases - all matter - are made up of atoms (or other things, like molecules, that are made from atoms)!
Elements are the kinds of atoms that we can have. Carbon is an element, hydrogen is an element, and so is oxygen. (We can call them by their names, or by their symbols - C for carbon, H for hydrogen, and O for oxygen.) All the elements are listed out in a periodic table. If it's in the table, it's an element!
Atoms can join together - they form bonds together - to make MOLECULES. For example, two atoms of hydrogen hook together to form a molecule of hydrogen, H2 for short.
http://pslc.ws/macrog/kidsmac/atoms.htm
your name @ 8:45 PM | your comment link
