Lesson 2.

3 Understanding the Structure of Atom: The

Contributions of J.J. Thomson, Ernest Rutherford,
Henry Moseley, and Niels Bohr
The Atomic Structure and the Chemical Elements
Objective
In this lesson, you will be able to cite the contributions of
Joseph John Thomson, Ernest Rutherford, Henry Moseley,
and Niels Bohr to the understanding of the structure of the
atom.
Guide Question
What are the contributions of Joseph John (J.J.) Thomson,
Ernest Rutherford, Henry Moseley, and Niels Bohr to the
understanding of the structure of the atom?
Learn about it!
J.J. Thomson’s Discovery of the
Electron
In 1897, J.J. Thomson discovered the
electrons by conducting a series of
experiments using a high-vacuum
cathode-ray tube that was composed
of negatively charged particles 1000
times lighter than the hydrogen
atom.
J.J. Thomson’s Discovery of
the Electron
He also proposed a sea of positive
charge for the overall neutrality
of the atom.
He then proposed an atomic model
known as the plum pudding
model depicting a sphere of
positive charge (pudding) with
negatively charged particles
(plums) embedded all
throughout.
Ernest Rutherford’s Discovery of the Nucleus
In the early 1900s, Rutherford
discovered the nucleus
containing positively charged
particles called protons. He
advised his students, Hans
Geiger and Ernest Marsden, to
bombard a thin sheet of gold
foil with alpha particles.
Ernest Rutherford’s Discovery of the Nucleus
He assumed that the alpha particles would just pass straight
through the foil, meaning an atom has a void space.

However, after the experiment, some particles passed right

through it, and some were deflected. He arrived at these
two conclusions:
Ernest Rutherford’s Discovery of the Nucleus
(1) The atom contained an empty space, as some particles
went through the foil; and
(2) (2) The atom had a very dense center of positive charge.
From these, Rutherford proposed the planetary model.
He believed that the electrons moved around a nucleus.
Learn about it!
Henry Moseley’s Atomic Number
In 1913, Henry Moseley, a British
chemist, developed the use of X-
ray in studying the structure of the
atom. During this time, a coherent
structure of the atom was being
developed, starting from J.J.
Thomson’s discovery of the
electron to Rutherford’s
publication of his planetary model.
Henry Moseley’s Atomic Number
He published results of his measurements of wavelengths
of the X-ray emissions of some elements that coincided
with the order of their atomic numbers. Moseley’s
experimental data backed up Rutherford’s structure of the
atom with a very dense center of positive charge. The data
also justified that the atomic number of an element is the
number of positive charges in its nucleus.
Niels Bohr’s Atomic Model
If you would recall in magnetism, unlike charges attract.
In Rutherford’s model, since the electron and the
nucleus have opposite charges, the electrons would
collapse into the nucleus, making the atom unstable.
Niels Bohr modified this model by proposing that the
electrons move in fixed energy levels or orbits by
absorbing or emitting energy.
Try it!
Look at the periodic table. List down three elements with
the lowest atomic number and three with the highest
atomic number. What does the low and high atomic
numbers signify?
What do you think?
What is the importance of knowing the atomic number of
elements?
Key Points
 J.J. Thomson discovered the electron and proposed the
plum pudding model.
 Ernest Rutherford discovered the nucleus and
proposed the planetary model.
 Henry Moseley used the X-rays in studying the
structure of the atom. The results of his experiments
supported Rutherford's model.
 Niels Bohr proposed that the electrons move in fixed
energy levels or orbits.