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Chapter 1:
Structure Determines Properties |
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Atoms
All matter is
composed of atoms. Atoms are an ordered
collection of various subatomic particles. The central nucleus
contains the protons and neutrons, around
this are the all
important electrons.
The simple schematic diagram to the
left shows this simple model of
a helium atom. The nucleus contains two protons and two neutrons, and
then
there are two electrons.
You should be familiar with
the subatomic particles and how to
determine how many of each a specific atom has.
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In introductory organic chemistry courses,
the majority of the compounds
you will encounter are based on a limited selection of atoms : the atoms
of greatest interest are H, C, N, O,
and
the halogens F, Cl, Br, I plus a
few
others such as Li, Na, Mg, Al, B, P, S. Later, when one probes deeper
into
more advanced synthetic methods, one needs to be familiar with many
more
elements.
Try the questions
about atoms. If
you are not comfortable with these you should look at a bit more detail.
