CHEM101: General Chemistry I

2.1: Atoms and Elements

• 2.1.1: History of the Elements

  • Stephen Lower's "General Chemistry Virtual Textbook: Atoms, Elements, and the Nucleus"

    Read the "Elements" section. Elements get their names from many sources. The "new" elements are purely synthetic and are usually named by the scientist who develops them. What would you name an element?
    

• 2.1.2: Dalton and Atomic Theory

  • Stephen Lower's "General Chemistry Virtual Textbook: Atoms, Elements and the Nucleus"

    Read the "Atoms Become Real" section. Familiarize yourself with the laws of conservation of mass, constant composition, and multiple proportion. These concepts play a key role in Dalton's atomic theory. Also look at the section on relative masses of atoms, which arose from Dalton's theory.
    

• 2.1.3: Subatomic Particles and Isotopes

  • Stephen Lower's "General Chemistry Virtual Textbook: Atoms, Elements, and the Nucleus"

    Read "The Nuclear Atom" section on subatomic particles. The section also covers isotopes and isotopic notation - the concept that a given element type can possess different numbers of neutrons. These concepts were not part of Dalton's atomic theory. Can you identify why?
    

  • Khan Academy: "Elements and Atoms" and "Introduction to the Atom" Page

    Watch these lectures to reinforce the concepts covered in the reading assignment. 
    

• 2.1.4: Atomic Masses

  • Stephen Lower's "General Chemistry Virtual Textbook: Atoms, Elements, and the Nucleus"

    Read the "Atomic Masses" section. The concept of unified atomic masses is introduced.