AP Chemistry:: Atomic Structure Properties

What are the THREE main subatomic particles that make up an atom, and what is the relative CHARGE of each?

- **A)** All three subatomic particles carry the exact SAME positive charge, with no meaningful distinction between them
- **B)** PROTONS (positive charge, +1), NEUTRONS (no charge, neutral), and ELECTRONS (negative charge, -1)
- **C)** This concept has no actual relationship to the charges carried by an atom's subatomic particles
- **D)** Protons and electrons both carry a POSITIVE charge, while neutrons carry a NEGATIVE charge

Where are PROTONS and NEUTRONS located within an atom, compared to ELECTRONS?

- **A)** All three particles (protons, neutrons, electrons) are located together in the nucleus, with none located outside it
- **B)** This concept has no actual relationship to where these particles are physically located within an atom
- **C)** Electrons are located in the nucleus, while protons and neutrons occupy the surrounding space outside the nucleus (the reverse of the actual atomic structure)
- **D)** PROTONS and NEUTRONS are located together in the dense, central NUCLEUS of the atom, while ELECTRONS occupy the surrounding space outside the nucleus (in orbitals/electron shells)

What defines an element's ATOMIC NUMBER, and what does it tell you about that element?

- **A)** Atomic number refers to the number of NEUTRONS in an atom's nucleus, rather than the number of protons
- **B)** This concept has no actual relationship to identifying which specific element an atom belongs to
- **C)** The atomic number equals the number of PROTONS in an atom's nucleus; it uniquely identifies which element an atom is, since every atom of a given element has the SAME number of protons
- **D)** Atomic number always equals the total MASS of the atom, rather than a count of protons

What is an ISOTOPE, and how do isotopes of the SAME element differ from one another?

- **A)** Atoms of the SAME element (same number of protons) that have DIFFERENT numbers of NEUTRONS, giving them different MASS NUMBERS despite being the same element
- **B)** Isotopes of the same element always have a DIFFERENT number of protons, rather than the same number
- **C)** Isotopes are atoms of DIFFERENT elements that happen to have the exact same mass number, with no relationship to neutron count
- **D)** This term has no actual relationship to variation in neutron count among atoms of the same element

How is an element's standard ATOMIC MASS (as shown on the periodic table) actually calculated, given that most elements exist as a mixture of different isotopes in nature?

- **A)** This calculation has no actual relationship to the relative abundance of an element's different isotopes
- **B)** Atomic mass is calculated as a SIMPLE (unweighted) average of all isotope masses, with abundance playing no role in the calculation
- **C)** It is the WEIGHTED AVERAGE of the masses of all naturally occurring isotopes of that element, weighted by each isotope's relative ABUNDANCE (percentage) in nature
- **D)** Atomic mass is always simply the mass of the single MOST COMMON isotope, with no actual averaging of other isotopes' masses

What is an ATOMIC ORBITAL, in the modern quantum mechanical model of the atom?

- **A)** A region of space around the nucleus where there is a HIGH PROBABILITY of finding an electron, rather than a fixed, precise orbital path (unlike the older, simpler 'planetary' Bohr model)
- **B)** An atomic orbital refers to a fixed, precise circular path that an electron travels around the nucleus, identical to the older Bohr model's description
- **C)** Atomic orbitals are located INSIDE the nucleus itself, rather than in the space surrounding it
- **D)** This concept has no actual relationship to describing where an electron is likely to be found around the nucleus

What are the four general types of atomic ORBITALS (denoted s, p, d, f), and how does the MAXIMUM number of electrons each type can hold differ?

- **A)** All four orbital types (s, p, d, f) hold the exact SAME maximum number of electrons, with no meaningful distinction between them
- **B)** An 's' orbital holds a maximum of 2 electrons, a 'p' orbital set holds a maximum of 6, a 'd' orbital set holds a maximum of 10, and an 'f' orbital set holds a maximum of 14
- **C)** This concept has no actual relationship to how many electrons a given type of orbital can hold
- **D)** An 's' orbital holds MORE electrons than an 'f' orbital, the reverse of the actual capacity relationship

What does an ELECTRON CONFIGURATION (such as 1s2 2s2 2p6) represent for a given atom?

- **A)** This concept has no actual relationship to how an atom's electrons are distributed among its orbitals
- **B)** The specific DISTRIBUTION of an atom's electrons among its various energy levels and orbitals, following a particular filling ORDER based on increasing energy
- **C)** Electron configuration always describes NEUTRON distribution within the nucleus, rather than electron distribution in orbitals
- **D)** An electron configuration refers only to the total NUMBER of protons in an atom's nucleus, with no relationship to how electrons are distributed