1.1.8

Model of the Atom

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The Model of the Atom

Our understanding of atoms has improved over time. The models that we have used to understand atoms have also changed.

Illustrative background for Thomson's plum pudding modelIllustrative background for Thomson's plum pudding model ?? "content

Thomson's plum pudding model

  • In 1897, an English physicist called J. J. Thomson discovered electrons.
  • Thomson modelled the atom as a 'plum pudding' - a ball of positive charge (dough), with negatively charged electrons (currants in pudding) mixed in with the 'dough'.
Illustrative background for Rutherford's nuclear modelIllustrative background for Rutherford's nuclear model ?? "content

Rutherford's nuclear model

  • In 1909, Ernest Rutherford discovered that alpha particles could bounce back off atoms.
  • Rutherford concluded that an atom's mass is concentrated in the atom's centre. This was called the "nucleus" and it contained positively charged particles called protons.
Illustrative background for The modern modelIllustrative background for The modern model ?? "content

The modern model

  • Niels Bohr discovered that electrons orbit (fly around) the nucleus at fixed distances.
  • In 1932, James Chadwick discovered that some particles in the nucleus have no charge at all. He called them neutrons.

Jump to other topics

1Atomic Structure

2Chemical Bonding

3Quantitative Chemistry

4Chemical Changes

5Energy Changes

6The Rate & Extent of Chemical Change

7Organic Chemistry

8Chemical Analysis

9Chemistry of the Atmosphere

10Using Resources

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