Unit 1: Structure 1: Models of the Particulate Nature of Matter
Topic 1.2: The Nuclear Atom Questions
Practice 20 exam-style questions for IB Chemistry Topic 1.2. Review the question stems below, then unlock the full Question Bank to access markschemes, model answers, and AI grading.
1Deduce1 mark
2026
Deduce the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in this ion.
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State the relative mass and relative charge of a proton, a neutron and an electron. [3]
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2026
State the relative charge and relative mass of a neutron.
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Hydrogen-1 and hydrogen-2 (deuterium) are isotopes.
State the number of neutrons in each, and state one physical property in which a sample of 'heavy water' (made with deuterium) would differ from ordinary water. [2]
State the number of neutrons in each, and state one physical property in which a sample of 'heavy water' (made with deuterium) would differ from ordinary water. [2]
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State the relative mass and relative charge of a proton, a neutron and an electron.
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Explain why almost all of the mass of an atom is concentrated in a very small volume at its centre.
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Deduce the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in the ion ⁴⁰₂₀Ca²⁺.
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Define isotopes and state how the isotopes of an element differ and how they are the same.
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Chlorine exists as ³⁵Cl and ³⁷Cl. State the number of protons and neutrons in each, and explain why they have the same chemical properties.
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Chlorine consists of 75.8% ³⁵Cl and 24.2% ³⁷Cl. Calculate its relative atomic mass to three significant figures.
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Explain why isotopes of an element have slightly different physical properties, giving one example of such a property.
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A mass spectrum of an element shows peaks at m/z 69 (60.0%) and m/z 71 (40.0%). Calculate its relative atomic mass and identify the element.
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Explain why particles must be ionised before they can be analysed in a mass spectrometer, and why lighter ions are deflected more.
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Explain what the height of each peak in a mass spectrum represents and how the spectrum shows that an element has isotopes.
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An atom of an element has 17 protons and 20 neutrons. State its mass number, its atomic number, and the number of electrons in the neutral atom.
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Deduce the numbers of protons, neutrons and electrons in the ion . [3]
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Boron exists as two isotopes, boron-10 and boron-11.
Explain why these two isotopes have identical chemical properties. [2]
Explain why these two isotopes have identical chemical properties. [2]
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Gallium has two isotopes: ⁶⁹Ga with 60.1% abundance and ⁷¹Ga with 39.9% abundance.
Calculate the relative atomic mass of gallium to three significant figures.
Calculate the relative atomic mass of gallium to three significant figures.
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A mass spectrum of an element shows three peaks: m/z = 20 (90.5%), m/z = 21 (0.3%) and m/z = 22 (9.2%).
Calculate the relative atomic mass of the element to three significant figures and suggest its identity.
Calculate the relative atomic mass of the element to three significant figures and suggest its identity.
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2026
How many neutrons are in an atom of ⁶⁵Cu, which has atomic number 29?
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