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Physical-Science-Module 4 The Development of The Atomic Structure

This document summarizes the key discoveries that led to the modern understanding of the atomic structure: 1. Ernest Rutherford's gold foil experiment in 1911 demonstrated that the atom has a small, dense positively charged nucleus at its center rather than Thomson's "plum pudding" model of uniform charge distribution. 2. In 1932, James Chadwick discovered the neutron, a neutral subatomic particle found in the nucleus along with protons. 3. Niels Bohr incorporated Max Planck and Albert Einstein's quantum theory ideas into Rutherford's nuclear model, proposing that electrons can only orbit in fixed energy levels and must absorb or emit a quantum of energy to change levels.

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378 views23 pages

Physical-Science-Module 4 The Development of The Atomic Structure

This document summarizes the key discoveries that led to the modern understanding of the atomic structure: 1. Ernest Rutherford's gold foil experiment in 1911 demonstrated that the atom has a small, dense positively charged nucleus at its center rather than Thomson's "plum pudding" model of uniform charge distribution. 2. In 1932, James Chadwick discovered the neutron, a neutral subatomic particle found in the nucleus along with protons. 3. Niels Bohr incorporated Max Planck and Albert Einstein's quantum theory ideas into Rutherford's nuclear model, proposing that electrons can only orbit in fixed energy levels and must absorb or emit a quantum of energy to change levels.

Uploaded by

Joana Castillo
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI COLLEGE

SAINT ANTHONY SCHOOL

Academics. And beyond.


The Discovery of Protons, Electrons
and Neutrons
Matter is composed of indivisible particles called
atoms and that each atom is made up of protons,
electrons and neutrons. These particles have their
own space in an atom. To illustrate, let us look into
the timeline of the development of the atomic
structure.

Remember that the discovery of subatomic particles


contributed to the advancement of the understanding
of the atomic model.
Ernest Rutherford verified Thomson’s atomic model
by conducting his gold foil experiment using
naturally occurring radioactive substances that
emitted alpha rays. If Thomson’s model was correct,
most of the alpha particles would pass through the
thin gold foil with very slight deflections because the
positively charged subatomic particles were diffused.
Ernest Rutherford’s observations were the following:
1. Most of the alpha particles passed through the gold foil
undeflected.
2. Some alpha particles passed through the gold foil with
large angles of deflection.
3. A smaller number of alpha particles bounced back in the
direction from which they came.
Rutherford’s alpha scattering experiment proved that the nucleus is a
positively charged core.
Based on the work of Ernest Rutherford;
 The central part of the atom is a dense positively charged portion
wherein the proton is located.
 An atom is mostly an empty space that has a nucleus and
electrons revolving around it.
In 1932, James Chadwick (1891-
1974) discovered the neutral
particles, which he called
neutrons, found in the nucleus of
an atom.
Chadwick conducted an experiment wherein he bombarded a
thin sheet of beryllium with alpha particles (a-particles).
 Results showed that the sheet of beryllium emitted very high
energy radiation similar to gamma rays.
 Experiments conducted in the later years showed that the rays
were actually composed of another kind of subatomic particles.
 Chadwick named these particles neutrons because it was
discovered that they had no charge (neutral) and their mass were
slightly greater than the mass of protons.
The number of protons determines the atomic number (Z) of an
element. Generally, the number of protons is equivalent to the
number of electrons, except in ion formation, where an atom may
donate or accept an electron. Thus, the difference in the number
of protons and electrons determines the charge of an atom.
The mass number (A) is determined by adding the number of
protons and neutrons in an atom. Because the atomic number
corresponds to the number of protons, the number of neutrons
can be determined using the following formula:

Mass number (A) – atomic number (Z) = number of neutrons


Arrangement of Elements in the
Periodic Table
In the periodic table of elements, you will see that elements are
arranged based on increasing atomic numbers. Initially, it was
proposed that elements should be arranged based on their atomic
weights.

In 1913, Henry Mosely (1887-1915)


published his measurements on the
wavelength on the wavelengths of spectral
lights of 39 elements showing that the order
of frequencies of wavelengths emitted by
X-rays correspond to the atomic number.
Bohr’s Planetary Model
 Rutherford’s model of an atom conflicted with the theory of
electric fields as proposed by James Maxwell (1831 - 1879),
which states that the particles will gradually lose energy by
emitting radiation when a body moves in an orbit around an
oppositely charged body.

 This loss of energy will cause electrons to move inward until


they have direct contact with the nucleus, which is opposite their
charge. If this theory applies to atoms, then cannot be stable.
 Niels Bohr (1885-1962) provided answers to this dilemma. He
incorporated the quantum concept of Max Planck (1858-1957) and of Albert
Einstein (1879-1955) in Rutherford’s planetary model of the atom to
describe the electrons. Bohr proposed the following postulates:

1. An electron can revolve around an atom following its specified orbital.


2. An electron does not emit radiation if it revolves only around its allowed
orbital.
3. Moving from one orbital to another, which is called quantum leap, will
allow the electron to gain or lose energy.
An illustration of the movement of an electron from the
ground state to an excited state through the absorption of a
photon.
Thus, electrons can only be at a certain energy level (or orbital).
When an electron is energized, it moves to a higher orbital and is
an excited state. Then it returns to its initial (lower) orbital and is
now in its lower energy state or ground state. Energy is released
in the form of light as the electron moves back to its ground
state. That is how the metal components of fireworks produce
their beautiful colors. Electrons in the metals release the
absorbed energy in the form of light.
Is there any questions?
Thank you
for
listening!

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