General Chemistry 1 Lesson 5: Atoms, Molecules, and Ions b. 5.58 g iron reacted with 3.21 g sulfur.

h 3.21 g sulfur. How many grams of iron (II) sulfide

ATOMS- building blocks of matter.
DEMOCRITUS An ancient Greek and student of Aristotle, proposed the 1st
atomic theory he said that the world is composed of 2 things: void (empty
space) and matter. No one supported him. Atomos = ‘indivisible’ No
experiments to support idea and he had NO experimental evidence to
support his idea.
“To understand the very large, we must understand the very small.”
LAWS OF CHEMICAL CHANGES.
These laws were inferred from several experiments conducted during the
18th century using a balance for the measurements:
a. Law of Conservation of Mass
b. Law of Definite Proportion
c. Law of Multiple Proportion
were produced? The reaction involved was:
iron + sulfur ! iron(II) sulfide
c. Magnesium burns in air to form magnesium oxide, as represented by
the following word equation:
magnesium + oxygen ! magnesium oxide
When 2.43 g magnesium was burned, 4.03 g magnesium oxide was
produced. How many grams of oxygen reacted with the magnesium?
d. Ammonia is produced by the reaction of nitrogen with hydrogen:
nitrogen + hydrogen ! ammonia
How many grams of nitrogen combined with 50.0 g hydrogen is needed to
yield 283.3 g ammonia?

LAW OF CONSERVATION OF MASS: In a chemical reaction, no change in

mass takes place. The total mass of the products is equal to the total mass
of the reactant.

ANTOINE LAVOISIER, a brilliant French chemist, formulated this law by

describing one of his experiments involving mercuric oxide. He placed a
small amount of mercuric oxide, a red solid, inside a retort and sealed the
vessel tightly. He weighed the system, and then subjected it to high
temperature. During the heating, the red solid turned into a silvery liquid.
This observation indicated that a chemical reaction took place. After which,
the setup was cooled and then weighed. The weight of the system was
found to be the same as before heating.
LAW OF DEFINITE PROPORTION: A compound always contains the same
constituent elements in a fixed or definite proportion by mass.
If water samples coming from different sources are analyzed, all the
samples will contain the same ratio by mass of hydrogen to oxygen.
• For example: for any sample of sodium chloride, the mass of the
sample is always 39.34% Na and 60.66% Cl.
LAW OF MULTIPLE PROPORTIONS: If two elements can combine to form
more than one compound, the masses of one element that will combine
with a fixed mass of the other element are in a ratio of small whole
numbers.
Apply this law using the example of carbon which reacts with oxygen to
form carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
a. In carbon monoxide, 1.00 g carbon combines with 1.33 g oxygen;
whereas, in carbon dioxide, 1.00 g carbon combines with 2.66 g oxygen.
b. It can be seen that the ratio is 1:2.
LAWS are derived from experimental results.
A THEORY is formulated to provide an explanation to the laws.
DALTON’S ATOMIC THEORY
proposed by John Dalton, can be used to explain the laws of chemical
change.
This theory is based on the following set of postulates:
1. Elements are made up of very small particles known as atoms.
2. All the atoms of an element are identical in mass and size, and are
different from the atoms of another element. Dalton used the different
shapes or figures to represent different elements, as follows:
3. Compounds are composed of atoms of more than one element,
combined in definite ratios with whole number values.
4. During a chemical reaction, atoms combine, separate, or rearrange. No
atoms are created and no atoms disappear.
5. Which postulate could provide an explanation for the:
a. Law of Conservation of Mass
b. Law of Definite Proportion
During the time of Dalton, the atom was believed to be the smallest particle
comprising substances. However, before the end of the 19th century,
experiments provided proof of the existence of smaller particles within the
atom.
The numbers are defined by the following equations:
a. Atomic number = number of protons = number of electrons in a neutral
atom
b. Mass number = number of protons + number of neutrons