Activity 2: Atoms and Atomic Structure

Models of my three favorite elements on the periodic table

For my models of the elements I used golf balls for the protons and the neutrons and I used grapes for the electrons.

Here is my model for Helium

Here is my model for Hydrogen

And here is the model for Lithium

1.  Atomic numbers for each of the models   

Helium- 2    Hydrogen-1   Lithium-3

2.  Atomic mass for each of the elements

Helium-4.002602  Hydrogen-1.00794  Lithium-6.941

3.  In the models the Protons and the Electrons are equal in number

4.  In order to make an isotope for one of the models I would change the number of electrons.  This would end up changing the atomic mass of the element.

5.  A lot of the volume for the models is taken up by the spaces in between the electrons and the protons and neutrons in the models that I have made.

  

6.  Excited state for Helium

7.  When the electron returns to the ground state we would observe this as a photon which would either be in the visible light spectrum or it could be ultraviolet light.

8.  The elements are different colors based on two different things.  It is based on the number of electrons that become excited and it is based on the wavelength of the photons when they are emitted.

9.  The chemicals that are in the fireworks are carefully chosen based on the colors that they will emit when they are excited and they return to their ground state.  The fireworks create incandescent light from heat and different chemicals produce different wavelengths of light.

10.  The structure of the periodic table is set up a couple different ways.  The periodic table is organized by increasing atomic number.  So the smallest atomic number is on the top left and the numbers increase from top to bottom and left to right.  A new row is started after a noble gas and the first element in the next row is always an alkali metal with an atomic number one greater than that of the noble gas.  The elements are also put into groups on the periodic table such as Alkali metals, Halogens, and Noble Gases.

11.  Example elements for each of the groups are:

Alkali Metals- Lithium & Sodium

Alkaline Earth Metals- Magnesium & Calcium

Halogens- Fluorine & Chlorine

Noble Gases- Helium & Neon

Transition Metals- Scandium & Titanium

Non-Metals- Hydrogen & Carbon

Metalloids- Boron & Arsenic