History of the Atom

Scientists and Their Contribution to

the Model of an Atom

Democritus
(460 BC – 370 BC)

• Proposed a theory of
ATOMISM which states:
– Atoms are particles in space and make
up everything
– Atoms are in constant motion
– Atoms are indivisible
– Things differ in the universe because
of shape, arrangement and position of
atoms
– Every event results from a collision of Image taken from:

atoms which make life predictable https://reich-

chemistry.wikispaces.com/T.+Glenn
+Time+Line+Project

• Aristotle did not support

his atomic theory

1
 Aristotle
(350 BC)

• Rejected atomism
• Aristotle modified an earlier
theory that matter was made of
four “elements”: earth, fire,
water, air
• Matter was continuous and not
made of individual smaller Aristotle
particles
fire
earth air
water

Antoine Lavoisier
(1743 – 1794)

• Known as the “Father of

Modern Chemistry”
• Discovered/proposed that
combustion occurs when
oxygen combines with other
elements
• Discovered/proposed the
Law of Conservation of
Mass (or Matter) which
states, in a chemical
reaction, matter is neither
Image taken from:
www.ldeo.columbia.edu/.../v1001/
geotime2.html

created nor destroyed

• Thought matter is concrete
and measureable

2
 John Dalton
(1766 – 1844)

• First Modern Atomic Theory called

Chemical Atomic Theory or Billiard Ball
Model
a. Elements of matter consist of characteristic
kinds of particles  
b. These particles of an element are identical to
each other  
c. Atoms are indivisible  
d. There are as many kinds of atoms as there
are elements  
e. Atoms of one element can’t be converted into
another  
f. Atoms in chemical reactions are neither
created or destroyed; merely rearranged  
g. Law of multiple proportions which describes
how atoms combine to make different
compounds Image taken from:
chemistry.about.com/.../John-
Dalton.htm
• Calculated the atomic weights of many
various elements

J.J. Thomson
(1856 – 1940)

• Proved that an atom can be

divided into smaller parts
• While experimenting with
cathode-ray tubes, discovered
corpuscles, which were later
called electrons
• Stated that the atom is neutral
• In 1897, proposed the Plum
Pudding Model which states that
Image taken from:
www.wired.com/.../news/2008/04/
atoms mostly consist of
dayintech_0430
positively charged material with
negatively charged particles
(electrons) located throughout
the positive material
• Won a Nobel Prize

3
 Ernest Rutherford
(1871 – 1937)

• In 1909, performed the

Gold Foil Experiment and suggested
the following characteristics of the
atom:
o Consists of a small core, or nucleus, that
contains most of the mass of the atom
o Nucleus is made up of particles called
protons, which have a positive charge
o Protons are surrounded by negatively
charged electrons, but most of the atom
is actually empty space
• Did extensive work on radioactivity
(alpha & beta particles, gamma rays/ Image taken from:
http://www.scientific-web.com/en/

waves) and was referred to as the Physics/Biographies/

ErnestRutherford.html

“Father of Nuclear Physics”

• His model is often called “Nuclear
Model”

Ernest Rutherford (movie1, movie2)

• Rutherford shot alpha (α) particles at gold foil.
Zinc sulfide screen Thin gold foil
Lead block
Radioactive
substance path of invisible
α-particles

Most particles passed through.

So, atoms are mostly empty.
Some positive α-particles
deflected or bounced back!
Thus, a “nucleus” is positive &
holds most of an atom’s mass.

4
 Niels Bohr
(1885 – 1962)

• In 1913, proposed the Bohr

Model, which suggests that
electrons travel around the
nucleus of an atom in orbits or
definite paths.
• Additionally, the
electrons can jump from a path
in one level to a path in another
Image taken from:
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
level (depending on their energy)
File:Niels_Bohr.jpg
• Won a Nobel Prize
• Worked with Ernest Rutherford

Erwin Schrodinger
(1887-1961)

• In 1926, further explained the

nature of electrons in an atom by
stating exact location of an
electron cannot be determined
• It is more accurate to view the
electrons in regions called electron
clouds;
• electron clouds are places where Image taken from:

the electrons are likely to be

nobelprize.org/.../1933/
schrodinger-bio.html

found
• Did extensive work on the Wave
formula à Schrodinger equation
• Won a Nobel Prize

5
 James Chadwick
(1891 – 1974)

• Realized that the atomic

mass of most elements was
double the number of
protons à discovery of the
neutron in 1932
• Worked on the Manhattan
Project
Image taken from:
www.wired.com/.../news/2009/02/
dayintech_0227
• Worked with Ernest
Rutherford
• Won a Nobel Prize

Heisenberg

• Came up with the Heisenberg Uncertainty

Principle
• It states that you can’t know BOTH the
momentum and position of an electron at
the same time

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 History of the Atom - Timeline
Antoine Lavoisier
makesJ.J. Thomson
a substantial Niels Bohr
number discovers the
of contributions proposes
electron
to the and
field of James
the Bohr Chadwick
proposes the
Chemistry Model in discovered
Plum Pudding
1766 – 1844 1913 the neutron
Model 1871
in 1897
– 1937
1887 – 1961 in in 1932
460 – 370 BC

1700s
1800s
1900s
0

Erwin
Democritus John Dalton
Ernest RutherfordSchrodinger
proposes proposesperforms
his the Gold Foil
describes
the 1st atomic atomic theory
Experiment
in in 1909
the electron
1891 – 1974

theory 1743 – 1794 1803 cloud in 1926

1885 – 1962

Click on picture for more information 1856 – 1940

Progression of the Atomic Model

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+ - - Electron Cloud

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The structure of an atom, according to: Democritus

James
Ernest
Erwin
Neils
J.J. Bohr&
Schrodinger
Chadwick
Rutherford
Thomson
John Dalton