Atomic Structure - Question

Oct 1, 2026

Atomic structure practice questions focus on sub-atomic particles, charges, and how to interpret atomic diagrams for lithium and other elements in the second row of the periodic table. Learners identify protons, electrons, neutrons, and elements with specific properties such as halogens, metals in a given group, and atoms that exist as single atoms. Problems include calculating mass number, neutron counts, relative atomic mass from isotope abundance, and nucleus radius from atomic radius, using required precision and standard form.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Atomic structure questions

Particles, charges, and mass number

Isotopes and relative atomic mass calculations

Electron arrangements and element identification

Nucleus and atomic radius calculations

1. This question is about atomic structure. The figure below represents the structure of a lithium atom. (a) Name the particle in the atom that has a positive charge. (b) Name the particle in the atom that has the smallest mass. (c) Complete the sentences. Choose the answers from the box. 3 4 7 10 The mass number of the lithium atom is The number of neutrons in the lithium atom is . [www.accesstuition.com](www.accesstuition.com) (d) What are lithium atoms with different numbers of neutrons called? Tick (✔) one box. Compounds Ions Isotopes Molecules (1) (e) Name the particle in the atom discovered by James Chadwick. . (1) [www.accesstuition.com](www.accesstuition.com) Page 2 of 13 (f) An element has two isotopes. The table shows information about the isotopes. | | Mass number | Percentage (%) abundance | | --- | --- | --- | | Isotope 1 | 10 | 20 | | Isotope 2 | 11 | 80 | Calculate the relative atomic mass (Ar) of the element. Use the equation: Give your answer to 1 decimal place. | | | --- | | | | | Relative atomic mass (Ar) = (2) (g) The radius of an atom is 0.2 nm The radius of the nucleus is the radius of the atom. Calculate the radius of the nucleus. Give your answer in standard form. | | | --- | | | | | Radius = nm (2) (Total 10 marks) [www.accesstuition.com](www.accesstuition.com) Page 3 of 13 2. The electronic structure of the atoms of five elements are shown in the figure below. The letters are not the symbols of the elements. Choose the element to answer the question. Each element can be used once, more than once or not at all. Use the periodic table to help you. (a) Which element is hydrogen? Tick one box. A B C D E (1) (b) Which element is a halogen? Tick one box. A B C D E (1) (c) Which element is a metal in the same group of the periodic table as element A? Tick one box. A B C D E (1) [www.accesstuition.com](www.accesstuition.com) Page 4 of 13 (d) Which element exists as single atoms? Tick one box. A B C D E (1) (e) There are two isotopes of element A. Information about the two isotopes is shown in the table below. | Mass number of the isotope | 6 | 7 | | --- | --- | --- | | Percentage abundance | 92.5 | 7.5 | Use the information in the table above above to calculate the relative atomic mass of element A. Give your answer to 2 decimal places. | | | --- | | | | | | | | | | | Relative atomic mass = (4) (Total 8 marks) [www.accesstuition.com](www.accesstuition.com) Page 5 of 13 3. There are eight elements in the second row (lithium to neon) of the periodic table. (a) Figure 1 shows a lithium atom. (i) What is the mass number of the lithium atom in Figure 1? Tick (✔) one box. 3 4 7 (ii) What is the charge of an electron? Tick (✔) one box. –1 0 +1 [www.accesstuition.com](www.accesstuition.com) (iii) Protons are in the nucleus. Which other sub-atomic particles are in the nucleus? Tick (✔) one box. ions molecules neutrons (1) (b) What is always different for atoms of different elements? Tick (✔) one box. number of neutrons number of protons number of shells (1) [www.accesstuition.com](www.accesstuition.com) Page 7 of 13 (c) Figure 2 shows the electron arrangements of three different atoms, X, Y and Z. These atoms are from elements in the second row (lithium to neon) of the periodic table. Which atom is from an element in Group 3 of the periodic table? Tick (✔) one box. Atom X Atom Y Atom Z (1) (d) Figure 3 shows the electron arrangement of a different atom from an element in the second row of the periodic table. (i) Give the chemical symbol of this element. (1) (ii) Why is this element unreactive? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ (1) (Total

FAQs

Which particle in an atom has a positive charge, and which has the smallest mass?

The positive charge comes from protons, and the smallest mass is from electrons.

How do you calculate the relative atomic mass from isotope mass numbers and percentage abundance?

Use a weighted average of the isotopes’ mass numbers with their percentage abundances, then round to the required decimal places.

What does “atoms with different numbers of neutrons” mean in terms of their classification?

Atoms with the same element but different neutron numbers are called isotopes.

Oct 1, 2026

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