| Term | Definition |
|---|
| atom | the smallest part of an element that retains the properties of that element |
| atomic theory | an explanation of the behavior of matter in terms of tiny particles called atoms |
| proton | the positively charged particle in the nucleus of an atom |
| neutron | the neutral particle in the nucleus of an atom |
| electron | the negatively charged particle in an atom, located in orbitals |
| orbitals | regions of high probability of finding electrons, electron clouds |
| orbits | well-defined areas where electrons definitely are |
| nucleus | the center of the atom, contains protons and neutrons |
| amu | atomic mass unit, used to measure the mass of atoms and subatomic particles |
| atomic number | equal to the number of protons in an atom, defines the atom as a certain element |
| mass number | equal to the number of protons plus the number of neutrons, identifies a specific isotope of an element |
| isotope | an atom of a certain element that varies in its number of neutrons |
| atomic mass | the weighted average of the masses of all isotopes of an element |
| ion | an atom that has gained or lost electrons and therefore has a charge |
| cation | a positive ion, an atom that has lost one or more electrons |
| anion | a negative ion, an atom that has gained one or more electrons |
| polyatomic ions | groups of 2 or more covalently bonded atoms that have an overall charge |
| stable octet | a group of 8 valence electrons, very stable, the goal for ion formation and most bonding |
| nuclide symbol | a representation of an atom or ion that shows the element symbol, atomic number, mass number, and charge (if present) |
| principle energy level | a collection of orbitals grouped together based on their common energies |
| electron configuration | the specific arrangement of electrons in an atom or ion |
| valence electrons | the electrons in the highest principle energy level |
| inert | unreactive |
| oxidation states | the charges of the most common ions of an element |
| Lewis dot structure | used to represent valence electron arrangement in an atom or ion |
| ground state | the energy level that an electron normally occupies, a lower energy state |
| excited state | a higher energy level that an electron can enter if it absorbs the right amount of energy |
| quantum | a specific amount of energy, electrons can absorb this to enter a higher energy state |
| bright line spectra | the unique amounts of energy emitted as electrons return to the ground state, specific colors shown as individual bright lines |
| continous spectrum | the entire ROY G BIV color spectrum |
| plum pudding model | the model of the model of the atom created by JJ Thomson, consists of electrons on the surface of a positively charged sphere |
| solar system model | the model of the atom created by Bohr, consists of electrons orbiting the central nucleus |
| gold foil experiment | an experiment done by Rutherford, proved that atoms are mostly empty space and have a dense, positive nucleus |
| cathode ray tube experiment | experiment done by Thomson in which he discovered the electron |
| cannon ball model | the model of the atom created by Dalton, states that atoms are solid spheres with no internal structure |
| Wave-Mechanical model | the model of the atom created by Schrodinger, states that electrons are in orbitals around the central nucleus, sometimes called the electron cloud model |
| dual nature of the electron | states that electrons behave as both pure energy and as particles |
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