Download CHM 1032C: Vocabulary Chapter 3

CHM 1032C:
Chemistry: A Molecular Approach Textbook-McMurry
CHAPTER 3 Atoms and the Periodic Table
List created by: Shirvon Harris Spring 2010
Alkali metal - An element in group 1A of the periodic table.
Alkaline earth metal - An element in group 2A of the periodic table.
Atom - The smallest and simplest particle of an element.
Atom mass unit (amu) - A convenient unit for describing the mass of an atom; 1 amu =
1/12 the mass of a carbon-12 atom.
Atom number (Z) - The number of protons in an atom.
Atomic theory - A set of assumptions proposed by English scientist
John Dalton to explain the chemical behavior of matter.
Atomic weight - The weighted average mass of an element’s atoms.
d-Block element - A transition metal element the results from the filling of
d orbitals.
Electron - A negatively charged subatomic particle.
Electron configuration - The specific arrangement of electrons in an atom’s shell and
subshells.
Electron-dot symbol - An atomic symbol with dots placed around it to indicate the
number of valence electrons.
f-Block element - An inner transition metal element that result from the filling of f
orbitals.
Group - One of the 18 vertical columns of elements in the periodic table.
Halogen - An element in group 7A of the periodic table.
Inner transition metal element - An element in one of the 14 groups shown separately
at the bottom of the periodic table.
Isotopes - Atoms with identical atomic numbers but different mass numbers.
Main group element - An element in one of the two groups on the left or the six groups
on the right of the periodic table.
Mass number (A) - The total number of protons and neutrons in an atom.
Neutrons - An electrically neutral subatomic particle.
Noble gas - An element in group 8A of the periodic table.
Nucleus - The dense, central core of an atom that contains protons and neutrons.
Orbital - A region of space within an atom where an electron in a given subshell can be
found.
p-Block element - A main group element the results from the filling of orbitals.
Period - One of the 7 horizontal rows of elements in the periodic table.
Proton - A positively charged subatomic particle.
s-Block element - A main group element that results from the filling of an
s orbital.
Shell (electron) - A grouping of electrons in an atom according to energy.
Subatomic particle - Three kinds of fundamental particles from which atoms are made:
protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Subshell (electron) - A grouping of elements in a shell according to the shape of the
region of space they occupy.
Transition metal element - An element in one of the 10 smaller groups near the middle
of the periodic table.
Valence electron - An electron in the outermost, or valance, shell of an atom.
Valance shell - The outermost electron shell of an atom.