What is an atom?

• Atom: the smallest unit

of matter that retains
the identity of the
substance
• First proposed by
Democratus
460 BC
 Dalton’s Atomic Theory
1. All matter is made of tiny indivisible
particles called atoms.
2. Atoms of the same element are
identical, those of different atoms
are different.
3. Atoms of different elements
combine in whole number ratios to
form compounds.
4. Chemical reactions involve the
1808 rearrangement of atoms. No new
atoms are created or destroyed.
 Parts of Atoms
• J. J. Thomson - English
physicist. 1897
• Made a piece of equipment
called a cathode ray tube.
• It is a vacuum tube - all the air
has been pumped out.
1898
• A limited amount of other gases
Joseph John are put in : Electron
Thompson
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source

- +

Metal Disks
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source

- +

Passing an electric current makes a

beam appear to move from the negative
to the positive end
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source

-
By adding an magnetic field
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source

-
By adding an magnetic field he found
that the moving pieces were negative
 Thomson’s Experiment
• Used many different metals and gases
• Beam was always the same
• By the amount it bent he could find the
ratio of charge to mass
• Was the same with every material
• Same type of piece in every kind of atom
 Thomsom’s Model
• Found the electron.
• Couldn’t find
positive (for a while).
• Said the atom was
like plum pudding.
• A bunch of positive
stuff, with the PLUM PUDDING
electrons able to be
removed. MODEL
 Millikan’s Experiment
Atomizer

-
Oil
Microscope
Metal
Plates
 Millikan’s Experiment
Atomizer
Oil droplets

-
Oil
Microscope
 Millikan’s Experiment

X-rays

X-rays give some drops a charge by knocking o

electrons
Millikan’s Experiment

+-
 Millikan’s Experiment

- -

+ +

They put an electric charge on the plates

 Millikan’s Experiment

- -

+ +

Some drops would hover

 Millikan’s Experiment
- - - - - - -

Some drops would hover

+ + + + + + +
 Millikan’s Experiment

- -

+ +

From the mass of the drop and the charge on

the plates, he calculated the charge on an electron
 Rutherford’s Experiment
• Ernest Rutherford English
physicist. (1910)
• Believed the plum pudding model
of the atom was correct.
• Wanted to see how big they are.
• Used radioactivity.
• Alpha particles - positively
1910
charged pieces given off by
uranium.
Ernest • Shot them at gold foil which can
Rutherford be made a few atoms thick.
 Flourescent
Screen
Lead Uranium
block

Gold Foil
 He Expected
• The alpha particles to pass through
without changing direction very much.
• Because…
• The negative charges were spread out
evenly. Alone they were not enough to
stop the alpha particles.
What he expected
Because
Because, he thought the mass
was evenly distributed in the atom
Because, he thought
the mass was evenly
distributed in the
atom
What he got
How he explained it
• Atom is mostly empty.
• Small dense,
positive piece
at center. +
• Alpha particles
are deflected by
it if they get close
enough.
+
 HISTORY OF THE ATOM

Rutherford’s new evidence allowed him to propose a more

detailed model with a central nucleus.

He suggested that the positive charge was all in a central

nucleus. With this holding the electrons in place by electrical
attraction

However, this was not the end of the story.

 Bohr’s Atom Theory
1913 Niels Bohr

studied under Rutherford at the Victoria

University in Manchester.

Bohr refined Rutherford's idea by adding

that the electrons were in orbits. Rather
like planets orbiting the sun. With each
orbit only able to contain a set number of
electrons.
Bohr’s Atom

electrons in orbits

nucleus
Bohr’s Atom