Largest Atom



  • The elements with the largest atomic radii are located towards the left and bottom of the periodic table (i.e. At the bottom of Group 1). Thus, in theory, the largest atom should be Francium.
  • The largest atom (in terms of volume not Atomic Mass or weight) lithium or boron Cesium (Cs), in the lower left hand corner of the table, has the largest known atom.
In the Atoms game, students build atoms of increasing atomic size by adding protons to the nucleus and electrons to the atomic orbitals while discovering fill order.

Take a peek inside the Atoms game for a brief overview of the concepts covered through gameplay. Learn about the challenge levels, exploratory sandbox, and free teacher resources for use in your chemistry classroom.

World's Largest Atom Smasher Breaks Record Scientists are celebrating after the Large Hadron Collider started making atomic particles head-on at record-breaking energies. The $10 billion.

Or watch our full Atoms game webinar here.

To successfully build atoms, players must add an equal number of protons and electrons.

Largest Atom

When adding electrons to the orbitals, players explore the patterns of electron fill order (Hund’s Rule and Aufbau Principle) and electron configuration.
Players are introduced to the periodic trend of atomic radii by creating atoms of increasing size.
The Atoms Sandbox provides an open-ended and exploratory environment for students to freely build and compare atoms. Design your own extension activities using the Sandbox and encourage your students to earn the built-in Achievements that focus on a specific topic within Atoms.
Northrup's Chem 111 SectionTTU General Chemistry

Chem 1110 - Chapter 8: Electron Configurations and Periodicity
Practice Quiz 4

Physical constants: h=6.626 x 10-34 Joule-sec
c=3.00 x 108 m/s
mass of electron = 9.1 x 10-31 kg

1. Which is the following is an INCORRECT electron configuration for the ground state of these species?

a) Sc = [Ar]4s23d1
b) Se = [Ar]4s24p4
c) Li = 1s22s1
d) N = [He]2s22p3

2. Identify the INCORRECT statement below:

a) The total number of electrons required to fill the n=2 level is 8.
b) The total number of electrons that can have n=3 in a many-electron atom is 18.
c) The total number of electrons that can occupy an atomic orbital is 1.
d) The total number of electrons that can 'fit' in the 4f sublevel is 14.

3. The observation that electrons 'prefer' going into separate atomicorbitals in a sublevel having more than one orbital is a consequence of:

a) The Aufbau Principle.
b) The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.
c) Hund's Rule.
d) The Pauli Exclusion Principle.

4. Which of the following full notations for the electron state isconsistent with the last electron added in forming the electron configuration of Gallium (Ga)?

a) (3, 2, 1, +1/2)
b) (4, 0, 0, +1/2)
c) (4, 2, 0, +1/2)
d) (4, 2, 1, +1/2)
e) (4, 1, 0, +1/2)

5. Which of the following species does NOT have an ns2np6 outer level electron configuration?

Largest Atoma) F
b) N3-
c) O2-
d) Cl-
e) Ne

6. Which outer shell electron configuration is typical of a neutral halogenelement?

a) ns1
b) ns2np4
c) ns2
d) ns2np5
e) ns2np7

7. Which sublevel is being filled in proceeding from element Sc to elementZn?

a) 4d
b) 3d
c) 5d
d) 4f
e) 5s>

8. Which atom below is the largest?

a) O
b) K
c) Al
d) Mg
e) F

9. Which atom below has the largest first ionization energy?

a) N
b) F
c) Mg
d) Li
e) Na

10. Which of the following atoms has the largest radius?

a) Cs
b) Rb
c) K
d) Na

11. Which of the following atoms has the smallest radius?

a) Br
b) As
c) Ca
d) K

Largest Atom Size

12. Which of the following atoms has the largest radius?

a) Rb
b) Si
c) S
d) O

13. Which of the following atoms has the smallest radius?

a) Na
b) Al
c) N
d) F

14. Which atom has the lowest first ionization energy?

a) Na
b) Ba
c) Ca
d) Cs

15. Which atom has the highest first ionization energy?

a) Cs
b) Ca
c) Al
d) O

16. Which atom has the largest negative electron affinity?

a) Rb
b) Mg
c) Ga
d) F

Largest Atom Chart

17. Which atom has the least negative electron affinity?

a) Be
b) Sr
c) Ca
d) Mg

18. Which ion has the largest radius?

a) Cl-
b) F-
c) Br-
d) I-

19. Which element has the highest electronegativity?

a) Ge
b) O
c) B
d) Ca

Smallest Atomic Radius

KEY

Largest Atomic Number

1)b 2)c 3)c 4)e 5)a 6)d 7)b 8)b 9)b 10)a 11)a 12)a 13)d 14)d 15)d 16)d 17)b 18)d 19)b To send electronic mail to Dr. Northrup >snorthrup@tntech.edu, or call 931-372-3421, or come to Foster Hall 407