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

History of the Atom

1887 – 1961 in 1932
460 – 370 BC

1700s
1800s
1900s
0

Scientists and Their Contribution to

Erwin
the Model of an Atom 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

• Believed that all matter was

Democritus composed of indivisible
(460 BC – 370 BC)
particles he called
• Proposed an Atomic Theory “ATOMS”
which states that all atoms
are small, hard, indivisible and • Derived from the Greek word
indestructible particles made “Atomos” – meaning
of a single material formed indivisible
into different shapes and
sizes.
• He also believed that different
• Aristotle did not support his atoms:
Atomic Theory
Image taken from:
https://reich-
chemistry.wikispaces.com/T.+Glenn
+Time+Line+Project
– Are different sizes
– Have different properties

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 Antoine Lavoisier John Dalton
(1743 – 1794) (1766 – 1844)

• Known as the “Father of Modern • In 1803, proposed an Atomic Theory

Chemistry” which states:
• Was the first person to generate a list of o All substances are made of atoms;
thirty-three elements in his textbook atoms are small particles that
• Devised the metric system cannot be created, divided, or
• Was married to a 13-year old Marie-Anne
destroyed.
Pierette Paulze; she assisted him with o Atoms of the same element are
much of his work exactly alike, and atoms of
• Was a tax-collector that was different elements are different
consequently guillotined during the o Atoms join with other atoms to
French Revolution make new substances
• Discovered/proposed that combustion • Calculated the atomic weights of many
occurs when oxygen combines with other various elements
elements • Was a teacher at a very young age
Image taken from:
www.ldeo.columbia.edu/.../v1001/ • Discovered/proposed the Law of • Was color blind Image taken from:
geotime2.html
Conservation of Mass (or Matter) which chemistry.about.com/.../John-

states, in a chemical reaction, matter is

Dalton.htm

neither created nor destroyed

“Father of Atomic Theory” Dalton’s Atomic Theory (1803)

aka: 5 Postulates
Dalton’s ideas were
so brilliant that they
have remained 1. All matter is composed of extremely small
essentially intact up particles called atoms. (I agree with Democritus!)
to the present time 2. All atoms of a given element are
and has only been identical, having the same:
slightly corrected. - size
- mass
- chemical properties.
3. All atoms of different elements are
different.

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 Dalton’s Atomic Theory (1803) Dalton’s Atomic Model
aka: 5 Postulates
4. Atoms cannot be created, divided into •Based on Dalton’s Atomic
smaller particles, or destroyed. Theory (5 postulates), most
**In a chemical reaction, atoms of different elements scientists in the 1800s believed
are separated, joined or rearranged. They are that the atom was like a tiny
never changed into the atoms of another element.** solid ball that could not be
broken up into parts.
5. Atoms combine in definite whole
number ratios to make compounds •Dalton was credited for the
(you can’t have a ½ of a Carbon bonding with three Atomic Laws that were
Oxygen; it’s a whole atom or no atom) proven after his time.

Dalton’s Atomic Laws Dalton’s Atomic Laws

3. Law of Multiple Proportions – if two
1. Law of Conservation of Mass
elements can combine to form more than one
Matter cannot be created or compound, then the ratio of the second element
destroyed in any physical or
combined with a certain mass of the first element
chemical process, just transferred.
is always a ratio of small whole numbers.
2. Law of Constant Composition
When atoms combine to form molecules, Example:
the ratio of atoms is constant. CO vs. CO2
Formula
Example – H2O will always have 2 times
as many Hydrogen atoms as Oxygen.
Ratio of N:O

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 • Used cathode rays to
J.J. Thomson prove that Dalton’s
(1856 – 1940)
Solid-ball model could be
• Proved that an atom can be divided broken into smaller
into smaller parts
• While experimenting with cathode- particles
ray tubes, discovered corpuscles,
which were later called electrons •Thomson is credited
• Stated that the atom is neutral with discovering
• In 1897, proposed the Plum Pudding electrons
Model which states that atoms
mostly consist of positively charged
material with negatively charged
particles (electrons) located
Image taken from:
www.wired.com/.../news/2008/04/
dayintech_0430
throughout the positive material
• Won a Nobel Prize

Cathode Ray Tubes Cathode Ray Tubes

• Cathode rays had been used for
some time before Thompson’s • Thomson put the tube
-----------------------------
experiments. in a magnetic field.
He predicted that the
• A cathode ray is a tube that has stream would travel in
a piece of metal, called an a straight path. ++++++++++++++
electrode, at each end. Each
electrode is connected to a power • Instead, he found that
the path curved away •Like charges repel each other,
source (battery).
from a negatively and objects with unlike charges
• When the power is turned on, the electrodes charged plate and attract each other, Thomson
become charged and produce a stream of charged toward a positively concluded that the stream of
particles. They travel from cathode, across the tube charged plate charged particles had electrons
to the anode. • Why? in them.

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 Cathode Ray Tube Experiment Thomson’s Plum Pudding Model
•Thompson Concluded: •Thomson’s Plum Pudding model is a +
charged sphere that has (-) charged
•Cathode rays are made up of electrons scattered inside, like “raisins” in
invisible, negatively charged “plum pudding.”
particles called Electrons. •Overall, the atom is neutral because the
atom had the same number of positive
and negative charges.
•These electrons had to come from the matter (atoms)
of the negative electrode. •From Thomson’s experiments, scientists concluded that
atoms were not just neutral spheres, but somehow were
•Since the electrodes could be made from a variety of composed of electrically charged particles.
metals, then all atoms must contain electrons! •The balance of positive and negative charge supports the
neutral atom.

Ernest Rutherford Rutherford (1871-1937)

(1871 – 1937)

• In 1909, performed the • Used the “Gold Foil

Gold Foil Experiment and suggested the
following characteristics of the atom:
Experiment” to discover
o It consists of a small core, or nucleus, the existence of:
that contains most of the mass of the
atom – An atomic Nucleus
o This nucleus is made up of particles
called protons, which have a positive
– Protons (in later experiments)
charge
o The 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/waves) and
was referred to as the “Father of Nuclear Image taken from:
Physics” http://www.scientific-web.com/en/
Physics/Biographies/
• Won a Nobel Prize ErnestRutherford.html

• Was a student of J.J. Thomson

• Was on the New Zealand $100 bill

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 Gold Foil Experiment Results from Gold Foil Experiment

• Rutherford directed a narrow

beam of alpha particles (+ •Rutherford found that every
charges) at a thin piece of once and a while, a + particle
gold foil. was deflected bounced back.
(about 1% of the time)
• Based on observations from •Why?
other experiments involving
alpha particles, he predicted •Because the + charge hit a
that the (+) charges would central mass of positive charge
go through the foil and was repelled.

Conclusions from Rutherford’s

The Gold Foil Experiment
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.

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 Rutherford’s Planetary Model 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
level (depending on their energy)
Image taken from:
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
• Won a Nobel Prize
File:Niels_Bohr.jpg
• Worked with Ernest Rutherford
The electrons orbit the nucleus like the
planets revolve around the sun.

Bohr (1885-1962) Bohr’s Energy Level Model

Energy Level Model: Electrons are
n
• Worked in Rutherford’s lab arranged in circles around the
nucleus. Each circle has a different
• Wondered why – electrons energy.
are not attracted to the + •Electrons are in constant motion,
nucleus and cluster around traveling around the circle at the
it speed of light.
• Disproved Rutherford’s
•Electrons can “jump” from one circle
Planetary Model
to the next
• Experimented with light and
its interaction with matter •But they can’t go to the nucleus -
to develop a new model. they are traveling too fast to be fully
attracted.

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 Bohr’s Energy Level Model Erwin Schrodinger
(1887-1961)
He proposed the following:
• In 1926, he further explained
the nature of electrons in an
1. Protons and neutrons are in the nucleus atom by stating that the exact
location of an electron cannot be
2. Electrons can only be certain distances from stated; therefore, it is more
the nucleus. accurate to view the electrons in
regions called electron clouds;
3. The electrons orbit the nucleus at fixed electron clouds are places where
energy levels. the electrons are likely to be
found
4. The electrons must absorb or emit a fixed • Did extensive work on the Wave Image taken from:
nobelprize.org/.../1933/

amount of energy to travel between these formula à Schrodinger equation schrodinger-bio.html

energy levels • Won a Nobel Prize

James Chadwick
(1891 – 1974) Wave Model
• 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
• Worked with Ernest Rutherford
• Won a Nobel Prize
Image taken from:
www.wired.com/.../news/2009/02/
dayintech_0227

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 The Wave Model The Wave Model
• Today’s atomic model is • In fact, it is impossible to determine the exact
based on the principles location of an electron. The probable location of
of wave mechanics. an electron is based on how much energy the
• According to the theory electron has.
of wave mechanics, • According to the modern atomic model, at atom
electrons do not move has a small positively charged nucleus
about an atom in a surrounded by a large region in which there are
definite path, like the enough electrons to make an atom neutral.
planets around the sun.

Electron Cloud: Electron Cloud:

• A space in which
electrons are likely to be
found. • Depending on their energy they are locked into a
• Electrons whirl about the certain area in the cloud.
nucleus billions of times • Electrons with the lowest energy are found in
in one second the energy level closest to the nucleus
• They are not moving • Electrons with the highest energy are found
around in random
patterns. in the outermost energy levels, farther from
• Location of electrons
the nucleus.
depends upon how much
energy the electron has.

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 Indivisible Electron Nucleus Orbit Electron
Progression of the Atomic Model
Cloud
Greek X
Dalton X -
- -
Thomson X - -
- -
Rutherford X X - --+-
-
+ - - Electron Cloud

- -
Bohr X X X -
-
Wave X X X

The structure of an atom, according to: Democritus

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

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