SCIE1000

Introduction to Chemistry

Tutorial Week 1

1. Which of the following atoms are isotopes of lithium?
Atom A has an atomic number of 3 and a mass number of 6.
Atom D has 3 neutrons and a mass number of 5.
Atom E is composed of 7 protons, 7 neutrons and 7 electrons.
Atom G is composed of 4 neutrons, 3 protons and 3 electrons.

2. How many protons and neutrons are in these atoms?
a) cobalt-60 27 protons, 33 neutrons
b) plutonium-239 94 protons, 145 neutrons
c) carbon-14 6 protons, 8 neutrons

3. Complete this table

11 23 +1 11 12 10
32 2-
S
16 16 16 18
52 3+
Cr
24 24 52 3+

81
Br-
35 35 -1 35


4. The radioactive isotope krypton-85 is used in electric blanket thermostats and in
indicator lights in appliances like washing machines, clothes dryers, stereos and
coffeemakers. When a krypton-85 atom undergoes radioactive decay, one neutron
disintegrates to form a proton and an electron. The electron, together with gamma
radiation, is emitted by the atom.
a) How many protons and neutrons are in a krypton-85 atom? 36 protons, 49 neutrons
b) Give the name of the isotope formed when a krypton-85 atom undergoes
radioactive decay. Rubidium-85
c) How many protons and neutrons will this new isotope have? 37 protons, 48 neutrons
d) Write a decay equation to represent this process.

85
Kr à 85 Rb + 0 e + 0 γ
36 37 -1 0



5. Give the electron configuration of the following atoms and ions:
a) a neutral atom with 11 protons 2, 8, 1
b) a neutral silicon atom 2, 8, 4
c) an aluminium ion, Al3+. 2, 8

6. Inhalation of radioactive alpha emitting dust particles over a period of time can
cause respiratory problems. Briefly explain why this dust can be responsible for such
problems. Alpha particles have a low penetrating ability but a high ionising ability.
When inhaled they will be absorbed by cells in the respiratory system. The cells may
be damaged or destroyed by this ionising radiation. Over a period of time,
respiratory problems develop as a result of the cell damage.

7. Give the period and group in the periodic table to which the following elements
belong:
a) oxygen period 2, group 6/16
b) krypton period 4, group 8/18
c) aluminium period 3, group 3/13

8. The electron configurations of neutral atoms of three different elements are shown
below:
a) 2, 3 3/13, 2, 5, Boron
b) 2, 8, 7 7/17, 3, 17, Chlorine

For each element, give the:
i group number
ii period number
iii atomic number
iv name.

9. For boron, the five successive ionisation energies are as follows.
807 2433 3666 25 033 32 834 kJ mol–1
a) Why is the second ionisation energy larger than the first ionisation energy?
The 2nd ionisation energy is greater than the 1st because the electron is being
removed from a positive ion.

b) Explain why the difference between the third and fourth ionisation energies is
much larger than the difference between the second and third ionisation energies.
The 1st 3 electrons are being removed from the second shell whilst the 4th is being
removed from the 1st shell which is closer to the positive nucleus and therefore more
difficult to remove.

10. The first six successive ionisation energies, in MJ mol–1, of several elements are given
below.
Predict how many electrons there would be in the outermost shell of the atoms of
each element.
a) 0.793, 1.583, 3.238, 4.362, 16.098, 19.791 4
b) 0.502, 4.569, 6.919, 9.550, 13.356, 16.616 1
11. Complete the following table.

Alpha Particle Beta particle Gamma radiation
b negative b positive
What it is a helium nucleus an electron a positron electromagnetic
radiation
4 0 0
Symbol He e e g
2 -1 +1

Charge +2 -1 +1 none

Stopped by skin / paper thin metal sheets thick layers of dense

metals eg lead (reduced,
not stopped)
Ionising ability high moderate low

12. The atomic radii of three atoms are given below.









a) Explain why the atomic radius of aluminium is smaller than the atomic radius of
magnesium.
Both atoms have electrons in the 3rd energy level however the larger nuclear charge
on the Al atom results in electrons being held more closely to the nucleus which
reduces the atomic radius.

b) Why is the atomic radius of calcium larger than that of magnesium?
The valence electrons in a calcium atom are in the 4th energy level which is further
from the nucleus than the valence electrons of a magnesium atom which are located
in the third energy level.

13. Consider these graphs










 Which of these graphs could approximately represent each of the following
descriptions?
a) The plot of first ionisation energy for As, Se and Br in that order C
b) The plot of atomic radius for Al, Si and P in that order B
c) The plot of number of outer-shell electrons for Cl–, Ar and K+ A
d) The plot of ionic radius for N3–, O2–, and F– in that order B
e) The plot of core charge (nuclear charge) of O, S and Se C
f) The plot of electronegativity of Cl, Br and I B

14. Fermium-253 has a half-life of 0.334 seconds. A radioactive sample is considered to
be completely decayed after 10 half-lives. How much time will elapse for this sample
to be considered gone? 10 x 0.334 = 3.34 s

15. Choose the letter that best represents the position of each of the elements
described below






a) The metal with the largest atomic radius f
b) The group 17 element with the higher electronegativity b
c) A non-metal with 6 electrons in its outermost shell i
d) An element in group 13 h
e) The period 2 element with the highest first ionisation energy b
f) An element in group 2 g
g) A metal in period 3 h
h) The element with the highest first ionisation energy a
i) The element with the lowest electronegativity f
j) The element with the highest electronegativity b (noble gases are considered to have
zero electronegativity because they have full valence shells)

16. Write a symbol for and name the missing particle(s) in each of the following.

228
a) Ra à 228 Ac + 0e
88 89 -1

212
b) Po à 208 Pb + 4 He
84 82 2

238
c) U à 234 Th + 4He then 234 Th à 234 Pa + 0e
92 90 2 90 91 -1

17. The half-life of Zn-71 is 2.4 minutes. If one had 100.0 g at the beginning, how many
grams would be left after 7.2 minutes has elapsed?

7.2/2.4 = 3 half-lifes
After 1 half-life the amount remaining is 100/2 = 50 g
After the second half-life the amount remaining is 50/2 = 25 g
After the 3rd half-life the amount remaining is 25/2 = 12.5g

18. A Geiger counter is an instrument used to detect radiation. A Geiger counter detects
40 counts per second from a sample of iodine-131. The half life of iodine-131 is 8
days.
(i) Using the axes given below, sketch a graph showing the count rate from the
sample of iodine-131 over a period of 24 days.



















(ii) From the graph, deduce the activity of the sample of iodine-131 after 20 days.

Correct value for cps after 20 days is between 6 – 8 cps based on graph.