This question is about atomic structure and the periodic table - AQA - GCSE Chemistry - Question 2 - 2021 - Paper 1
Question 2
This question is about atomic structure and the periodic table.
Gallium (Ga) is an element that has two isotopes.
1. Give the meaning of ‘isotopes’.
You should an... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:This question is about atomic structure and the periodic table - AQA - GCSE Chemistry - Question 2 - 2021 - Paper 1
Step 1
Give the meaning of ‘isotopes’
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Answer
Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. This leads to different mass numbers for the isotopes.
Step 2
Calculate the relative atomic mass (Ar) of gallium.
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Answer
To calculate the relative atomic mass, use the formula:
Ar=100(69×60)+(71×40)
Calculating this gives:
Ar=1004140+2840=1006980=69.8
Thus, the relative atomic mass of gallium to one decimal place is 69.8.
Step 3
Give the numbers of electrons and neutrons in an atom of the isotope ^{69}_{31}Ga
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Number of electrons: 31
Number of neutrons: 38
Step 4
What is the most likely formula of a gallium ion?
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The most likely formula of a gallium ion is Ga^{3+}.
Step 5
Give two reasons why the discovery of gallium helped Mendeleev’s periodic table to become accepted.
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Gallium fitted in a gap that Mendeleev had left in his periodic table, supporting his predictions.
The properties of gallium were predicted correctly, which aligned with the properties of other elements in the same group.