Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can describe an atom as a positive nucleus of protons and neutrons with negative electrons around it, and say which particle numbers change when an ion forms. (Guide: “What is inside an atom”; Practice Q6)
- I can explain the difference between shells and subshells, and state how many electrons s, p, d and f subshells hold. (Guide: “Shells and subshells”)
- I can explain how the s, p, d and f blocks of the periodic table match the Aufbau filling order. (Guide: Figure 1)
- I can tell core electrons from valence electrons in a configuration. (Guide: “Core and valence electrons”; Practice Q4)
Skills
- I can write full and noble-gas configurations for atoms, including those in the d block. (Practice Q1, Q4)
- I can write configurations for anions and recognise species that are isoelectronic. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q4, Q6)
- I can write configurations for transition-metal cations, removing 4s electrons before 3d. (Practice Q2, Q6)
- I can use Coulomb’s law as a ratio when charges and distances change, remembering the r². (Practice Q3, Q5)
- I can estimate the core charge an outer electron feels from the number of protons and core electrons. (Guide: Worked example 2)
Reasoning
- I can rank electrons in different subshells of one atom by how hard they are to remove, giving distance and effective charge as reasons. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q7)
- I can compare electrons in the same subshell of different atoms and justify which is held more strongly. (Practice Q7)
- I can evaluate a claim about which electrons an ion loses, using the “largest n first” rule. (Practice Q6)
All ticked? Move on to Topic 1.6, Photoelectron Spectroscopy, or return to the course roadmap.