7/13/14

History  of  the  Atom  

Democritus (400 BC)

“atomos”

Pointillism is a form of painting in which

tiny primary-color dots are used to
generate secondary colors and images.

1
 7/13/14

History  of  the  Atom   History  of  the  Atom  

John Dalton (1808) Joseph John Thomson (1897)

“indestructible “negatively charged

atom” particles are embedded
in the atom”

History  of  the  Atom   History  of  the  Atom  

Early types of radioactive emission

Radioactivity
(Henri Becquerel)

- spontaneous emission of radiation

γ

high energy “light”




β

high speed electron




α charge: +2
mass: 7300x that of an e-

" Rutherford’s Experiment

•  Alpha particle scattering experiment
with Hans Geiger and Ernst Marsden

bombard Au atoms with alpha particles

2
 7/13/14

" Rutherford’s Experiment " Rutherford’s Experiment

Assuming the
Thomson model is ACTUAL RESULT:
correct,
α particles were
EXPECTED RESULT: scattered

α particles would pass

through with minimal Plum pudding model
deflection and only at could NOT be correct!
small angles

" Rutherford’s Model " Rutherford’s Model

Observation Interpretation Observation Interpretation

1.  Most (99%) of the α The atom is MOSTLY 3.  Deflected α particles “close encounters” with a
particles went straight EMPTY SPACE massive positive center
through foil.

4.  Very small % of the α a “direct hit” at a more

2. Some of the α Due attractive particles were positive, massive
particles had encounters with the reflected portion
minimal deflections. negative electron.

" Rutherford’s Model

“It was quite the most incredible event
that has ever happened to me in my Explained his results in terms of a
life. NUCLEAR ATOM

It was almost as if you fired a 15-inch Characterized with a dense positive center
shell into a piece of tissue paper and NUCLEUS
it came back and hit you” (L “little nut”)

3
 7/13/14

" Rutherford’s Model " Rutherford’s Model

1 Atom consists of very small, very dense nucleus
which is positively charged, containing most of
the atom’s mass.

2 The estimated radius of the nucleus is 1/50,000

of the radius of the atom

3 Atom is mostly empty space and the volume is

occupied by the practically mass-less electrons.
4 The positive charge concentrated in the nucleus
is neutralized by the negatively charged
electrons moving around the nucleus.

" Rutherford’s Model " Rutherford’s Model

• Small size

• High density

Rutherford however did not establish how the

electrons move around the nucleus.

The Proton The Proton

Basic Basic
negative particle positive particle

+ _
Eugene Goldstein (1886)
identified the positively-charged particle

He observed rays passing through the

holes in opposite direction as the cathode
rays

4
 7/13/14

The Proton The Proton

•  The rays were originally called CANAL •  Responsible for the total + charge of the nucleus
RAYS •  Equal to the total − charge of the electron
•  The rays differed in MASS and CHARGE
depending on the gas inside the tube NUCLEAR CHARGE NO. of PROTONS
•  1840 times heavier than the electron ATOMIC NUMBER (Z) = number of p+
•  The charge of this particle is equal BUT = number of e- in a
opposite in sign to that of the electron neutral atom

•  Basic positive particle -- PROTON

The Neutron Subatomic particles

Name Symbol Charge Relative Actual
James Chadwick (1932) RESULTS mass Mass
(g)
identified the neutron by emission of very high
bombarding a thin Be Proton p+ +1 1 1.67 x 10-24
energy radiation similar
sheet with α particles to γ rays
Electron e- -1 1/1840 9.11 x 10-28
consisted of electrically
NEUTRAL particles with
a slightly greater mass Neutron n0 0 1 1.67 x 10-24
than that of a proton.

Main Features of the Atom Main Features of the Atom

•  atoms consist of a cloud of
negatively charged, e-
•  the e- cloud occupies most of •  Mass number (A)
the volume of atoms
•  the nucleus consists of A = #p+ + n0 A
protons, p and neutrons, n
(nucleons)
•  atoms are electrically neutral; Z
# p (+) = # e (-) •  Atomic number (Z)
•  # of p+ and e- is characteristic
of an element Z = #p+ = #e-

5
 7/13/14

Main Features of the Atom Isotopes of H

ISOTOPES
atoms of the same element which 1 2 3
vary in the # of n0 (varies in mass)
1
H 1
H H
1
but have the same # of p
hydrogen deuterium tritium

Isotopes of Oxygen

16 17 18
8
O 8
O 8
O
O-16 O-17 O-18