THE

HISTORICA
L
DEVELOPM
ENT
OF
 ATOMic
structure
Democritus (460 - 370
BC)
 Was the first person to come up with the idea of atom
 Believed that all matter was composed of indivisible
particles he called “ATOMS”
 Which is derived from the Greek word “Atomos” – meaning
indivisible
 He also believed that different atoms:
 Are different sizes
 Have different properties
 Other philosophers of that time did not agree with his
theories.
This was Democritus’ atomic model. It was simply a round
sphere with no electrons, protons, or neutrons. Democritus
created the first atomic model. His contribution helped people to
understand the idea of an atom, then other scientists looked
further into the science of the atom and its general makeup.

John Dalton (1766-1844)

 Dalton is the “Father of Atomic Theory”
 Dalton’s ideas were so brilliant that they have remained
essentially intact up to the present time and has only been
slightly corrected.
 Dalton’s Atomic Theory (1803)
aka: 5 Postulates
1. All matter is composed of extremely small particles called
atoms.
2. All atoms of a given element are identical, having the same:
- size
- mass
- chemical properties.
3. All atoms of different elements are different.
4. Atoms cannot be created, divided into smaller particles, or
destroyed.
5. Atoms combine in definite whole number ratios to make
compounds.
 Dalton’s Atomic Model
• Based on Dalton’s Atomic Theory (5 postulates), most
scientists in the 1800s believed that the atom was like a tiny solid
ball that could not be broken up into parts.
• Dalton was credited for the three Atomic Laws that were proven
after his time.

Dalton’s Atomic Laws

1. Law of Conservation of Mass

Matter cannot be created or destroyed in any physical or
chemical process, just transferred.
2.     Law of Constant Composition
When atoms combine to form molecules, the ratio of atoms
is constant.

3.     Law of Multiple Proportions

If two elements can combine to form more than one
compound, then the ratio of the second element combined
with a certain mass of the first element is always a ratio of
small whole numbers.
 JJ Thomson (1856-
1940)
• Used cathode rays to prove that Dalton’s Solid-ball model
could be broken into smaller particles.
• Thomson is credited with discovering electrons.

Cathode Ray Tube Experiment

• A cathode ray is a tube that has a piece of metal, called an
electrode, at each end. Each electrode is connected to a
power source (battery).
Thompson Concluded:
• Cathode rays are made up of invisible, negatively charged
particles called Electrons.
• These electrons had to come from the matter (atoms) of the
negative electrode.
• Since the electrodes could be made from a variety of metals,
then all atoms must contain electrons.

Thomson’s Plum Pudding Model

• Thomson’s Plum Pudding model is a + charge sphere that
has (- ) charged electrons scattered inside, like “raisins” in
“plum pudding”.
• Overall, the atom is neutral atom because the atom had the
same number of positive and negative charges.
• From Thomson’s experiments, scientists concluded that
atoms were not just neutral spheres, but somehow were
composed of electrically charged particles.
• The balance of positive and negative charge supports the
neutral atom.

Rutherford (1871-1937)
 Took Thomson’s Plum Pudding Model and added to it
 Used the “Gold Foil Experiment” to discover the existence of:
 An atomic Nucleus
 Protons
 Gold Foil Experiment

 Rutherford directed a narrow beam of alpha particles (+

charges) at a thin piece of gold foil.
 Based on observations from other experiments involving
alpha particles, he predicted that the (+) charges would go
through the foil
Results from the gold foil experiment:
• Rutherford found that every once and a while, a + particle
was deflected bounced back. (about 1% of the time)
• Because the + charge hit a central mass of positive charge
and was repelled.
Conclusions from Rutherford’s Gold Foil Experiment:
• The atom contains a positively charged “nucleus”.
• This nucleus contains almost all of the mass of the atom,
but occupies a very small volume of the atom.
• The negatively charged electrons occupied most of the
volume of the atom.
•  The atom is mostly empty space.

Rutherford’s Planetary Model

 • To explain his observations, Rutherford developed a
new model
• The electrons orbit the nucleus like the planets
revolve around the sun.

Bohr (1885-1962)

 Worked in Rutherford’s lab

  Wondered why – electrons are not attracted to the +
nucleus and cluster around it
 Disproved Rutherford’s Planetary Model
 Experimented with light and its interaction with
matter to develop a new model.

Bohr’s Energy Level Model

Energy Level Model: Electrons are arranged in circles around the

nucleus. Each circle has a different energy.
• Electrons are in constant motion, traveling around the circle
at the speed of light.
• Electrons can “jump” from one circle to the next
• But they can’t go to the nucleus they traveling too fast to be
fully attracted.

He proposed the following:

1. Protons and neutrons are in the nucleus.
2. Electrons can only be certain distances from the nucleus.
3. The electrons orbit the nucleus at fixed energy levels.
4. The electrons must absorb or emit a fixed amount of
energy to travel between these energy levels.