Scribd
Upload
244 views7 pages

Dalton's Atomic Theory

J.J. Thomson's experiments with cathode ray tubes in the late 19th century showed that atoms contain much smaller, negatively charged particles called electrons. Thomson proposed the "plum pudding" model of the atom, with electrons embedded in a uniform positively charged background. However, later experiments by Rutherford showed that the atom is mostly empty space with a tiny, dense positively charged nucleus at its center.

Uploaded by

Mhyr Pielago Camba
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
244 views7 pages

Dalton's Atomic Theory

J.J. Thomson's experiments with cathode ray tubes in the late 19th century showed that atoms contain much smaller, negatively charged particles called electrons. Thomson proposed the "plum pudding" model of the atom, with electrons embedded in a uniform positively charged background. However, later experiments by Rutherford showed that the atom is mostly empty space with a tiny, dense positively charged nucleus at its center.

Uploaded by

Mhyr Pielago Camba
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 7

Dalton's atomic theory

Basis for Dalton's theory


Dalton based his theory on two laws: the law of conservation of mass and the law of constant
composition.
The law of conservation of mass says that matter is not created or destroyed in a closed system.
That means if we have a chemical reaction, the amount of each element must be the same in
the starting materials and the products. We use the law of conservation of mass every time we
balance equations!

(Sodium ion and chloride ion )


The law of constant composition says that a pure compound will always have the same
proportion of the same elements. For example, table salt, which has the molecular
formula NaCl, contains the same proportions of the element’s sodium and chlorine no matter
how much salt you have or where the salt came from. If we were to combine some sodium
metal and chlorine gas—which I would not recommend doing at home—we could make more
table salt which will have the same composition.
Dalton's atomic theory
Part 1: All matter is made of atoms.
Dalton hypothesized that the law of conservation of mass and the law of definite proportions
could be explained using the idea of atoms. He proposed that all matter is made of tiny
indivisible particles called atoms, which he imagined as "solid, massy, hard, impenetrable,
movable particle(s)".
It is important to note that since Dalton did not have the necessary instruments to see or
otherwise experiment on individual atoms, he did not have any insight into whether they might
have any internal structure. We might visualize Dalton's atom as a piece in a molecular
modeling kit, where different elements are spheres of different sizes and colors. While this is a
handy model for some applications, we now know that atoms are far from being solid spheres.
Part 2: All atoms of a given element are identical in mass and properties.
Dalton proposed that every single atom of an element, such as gold, is the same as every other
atom of that element. He also noted that the atoms of one element differ from the atoms of all
other elements. Today, we still know this to be mostly true. A sodium atom is different from a
carbon atom. Elements may share some similar boiling points, melting points, and
electronegativities, but no two elements have the same exact set of properties.
Part 3: Compounds are combinations of two or more different types of atoms.
In the third part of Dalton's atomic theory, he proposed that compounds are combinations of
two or more different types of atoms. An example of such a compound is table salt. Table salt is
a combination of two separate elements with unique physical and chemical properties. The
first, sodium, is a highly reactive metal. The second, chlorine, is a toxic gas. When they react,
the atoms combine in a 1:1 ratio to form white crystals of NaClNaClstart text, N, a, C, l, end text,
which we can sprinkle on our food.
Since atoms are indivisible, they will always combine in simple whole number ratios. Therefore,
it would not make sense to write a formula such as Na0.5Cl0.5Na0.5Cl0.5 because you can't
have half of an atom!

Part 4: A chemical reaction is a rearrangement of atoms.

In the fourth and final part of Dalton's atomic theory, he suggested that chemical reactions do
not destroy or create atoms. They merely rearranged the atoms. Using our salt example again,
when sodium combines with chlorine to make salt, both the sodium and chlorine atoms still
exist. They simply rearrange to form a new compound.
What have we learned since Dalton proposed his theory?
The short answer: For instance, we now know that atoms are not indivisible—as stated in part
one—because they are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. The modern picture of an
atom is very different from Dalton's "solid, massy" particle. In fact, experiments by Ernest
Rutherford, Hans Geiger, and Ernest Marsden showed that atoms are mostly made up of empty
space.
Part two of Dalton's theory had to be modified after mass spectrometry experiments
demonstrated that atoms of the same element can have different masses because the number
of neutrons can vary for different isotopes of the same element. For more on isotopes, you can
watch this video on atomic number, mass number, and isotopes.
Despite these caveats, Dalton's atomic theory is still mostly true, and it forms the framework of
modern chemistry. Scientists have even developed the technology to see the world on an
atomic level!
Summary
 Dalton's atomic theory was the first complete attempt to describe all matter in terms of
atoms and their properties.
 Dalton based his theory on the law of conservation of mass and the law of constant
composition.
 The first part of his theory states that all matter is made of atoms, which are indivisible.
 The second part of the theory says all atoms of a given element are identical in mass and
properties.
 The third part says compounds are combinations of two or more different types of
atoms.
 The fourth part of the theory states that a chemical reaction is a rearrangement of
atoms.
 Parts of the theory had to be modified based on the existence of subatomic particles
and isotopes.
J.J Thomson’s
 J.J. Thomson's experiments with cathode ray tubes showed that all atoms contain tiny
negatively charged subatomic particles or electrons.

 Thomson's plum pudding model of the atom had negatively charged electrons embedded
within a positively charged "soup."

 Rutherford's gold foil experiment showed that the atom is mostly empty space with a tiny,
dense, positively charged nucleus.

 Based on these results, Rutherford proposed the nuclear model of the atom.

J.J. Thomson and the discovery of the electron


In the late 19th19th19, start superscript, start text, t, h, end text, end superscript century,
physicist J.J. Thomson began experimenting with cathode ray tubes. Cathode ray tubes
are sealed glass tubes from which most of the air has been evacuated. A high voltage is
applied across two electrodes at one end of the tube, which causes a beam of particles
to flow from the cathode (the negatively charged electrode) to the anode (the positively
charged electrode). The tubes are called cathode ray tubes because the particle beam or
"cathode ray" originates at the cathode. The ray can be detected by painting a material
known as phosphors onto the far end of the tube beyond the anode. The phosphors
spark, or emit light, when impacted by the cathode ray.
To test the properties of the particles, Thomson placed two oppositely charged electric plates around
the cathode ray. The cathode ray was deflected away from the negatively charged electric plate and
towards the positively charged plate. This indicated that the cathode ray was composed of negatively
charged particles.

Thomson also placed two magnets on either side of the tube and observed that this magnetic field also
deflected the cathode ray. The results of these experiments helped Thomson determine the mass-to-
charge ratio of the cathode ray particles, which led to a fascinating discovery−−minus the mass of each
particle was much, much smaller than that of any known atom. Thomson repeated his experiments
using different metals as electrode materials and found that the properties of the cathode ray remained
constant no matter what cathode material they originated from. From this evidence, Thomson made the
following conclusions:

 The cathode ray is composed of negatively charged particles.

 The particles must exist as part of the atom since the mass of each particle is only ∼1/2000 the
mass of a hydrogen atom.

 These subatomic particles can be found within atoms of all elements.

While controversial at first, Thomson's discoveries were gradually accepted by scientists. Eventually,
his cathode ray particles were given a more familiar name: electrons. The discovery of the electron
disproved the part of Dalton's atomic theory that assumed atoms were indivisible. To account for
the existence of the electrons, an entirely new atomic model was needed.

The plum pudding models

Thomson knew that atoms had an overall neutral charge. Therefore, he reasoned that there must be a
source of positive charge within the atom to counterbalance the negative charge on the electrons. This
led Thomson to propose that atoms could be described as negative particles floating within a soup of
diffuse positive charge. This model is often called the plum pudding model of the atom, since its
description is very similar to plum pudding, a popular English dessert (see image below).
Given what we know now about the actual structure of atoms, this model might sound a little far-
fetched. Luckily, scientists continued to investigate the structure of the atom, including testing the
validity of Thomson's plum pudding model.

Concept check: Thomson proposed an atomic model with distinct negative charges floating within a
"sea" of positive charge. Can you think of another model of the atom that would explain Thomson's
experimental results?

You might also like