Atomic Model
Eugen Goldstein
Democritus and the Atomos (5th Century BC)
§ ideological and philosophical reasoning on the
existence of atoms
§ tiny, indivisible particles of matter called atomos
§ atoms differ in size, shape, and arrangement in
space
§ first theory of atoms
Lavoisier and the Law of Conservation of Mass
(1773)
Antoin Laurent Lavoisier
§ father of modern chemistry
§ observed that matter is conserved in his
experiments
The Law of Conservation of Mass
§ matter is neither created nor destroyed in a
chemical reaction
§ basis for many chemical calculations
Proust and The Law of Definite Proportions
(1799)
Joseph Louis Proust
Law of Definite Proportions
§ each compound always contains the same
elements in a certain definite proportion and in no
other combination
§ one of his experiments was on basic copper
carbonate, aka, malachite [Cu2(OH)2CO3]: 57.48%
Cu, 36.18% O, 5.43% C, 0.91% H by mass
Dalton and the Atomic Theory of Matter (1800s)
John Dalton
Atomic Theory of Matter
§ “each element is composed of unique type of
atom which can combine in different ratios to form
different compounds”
Dalton’s Atomic Theory
§ Elements are made of extremely small particles
called atoms.
§ Atoms of a given element are identical in size,
mass, and other properties; atoms of different
elements differ in size, mass, and other properties.
§ Atoms cannot be subdivided, created, or
destroyed.
§ Atoms of different elements combine in simple
whole-number ratios to form chemical compounds.
§ In chemical reactions, atoms are combined,
separated, or rearranged.
Mendeleev and the Periodic Table (1869)
Dmitri Mendeleev
§ invented the periodic table of elements
§ arranged elements in (primarily) increasing
atomic mass, and put elements with similar
chemical properties in the same column
§ predicted the existence of yet undiscovered
elements
Goldstein and the Proton (1886)
§ discovered anode rays (canal rays)
§ credited for the discovery of the existence of
positively charged entities (later to be called
protons)
§ experimented with gas discharge tubes that had
perforated cathodes
Thomson and the Electron (1897)
Joseph John Thomson
§ discovered and identified the electron (first
subatomic particle) through his cathode ray tube
experiments
§ was able to calculate the charge- to-mass ratio
(e/z) of the electron
§ 1906 Nobel Prize in Physics
Plum Pudding Model (1904)
§ atoms have overall neutral charge so there must
be a source for both positive and negative charges
§ Thomson described the atom as negative
particles floating within a sea of diffuse positive
charge
Millikan and the Charge of an Electron (1909)
Robert Millikan
§ determined the charge of the electron, and
consequently, its mass through the oil-drop
experiment
§ 1923 Nobel Prize in Physics
Rutherford and the Nuclear Model (1911)
Ernest Rutherford
§ proposed the nuclear atom theory as evidenced
by the alpha particle scattering in his gold foil
experiment
§ concluded that all positive charge and nearly all
the mass of an atom are concentrated at the center
of the atom in a tiny core = nucleus
§ father of nuclear physics
§ named the positively-charged subatomic particle
as proton (1920)
§ 1908 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Bohr and the Planetary Model (1913)
Niels Bohr
§ improved the Rutherford’s Model by considering
the inconsistencies in the classical mechanics
§ suggested that energy of the electron is
quantized
§ QUANTUM = tiny unit of energy; value depends
on frequency
§ 1922 Nobel Prize in Physics
§ ENERGY LEVEL = specified energy value for an
electron
§ by absorbing a quantum of energy, an electron is
promoted to an excited state
§ the electron returns to its ground/relaxed state by
releasing a quantum of energy = line spectrum
Schrodinger and the Quantum Mechanical Model
(1926)
Erwin Schrodinger
§ treated the electron as wave instead of particle
§ updated the Bohr model
§ 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics
§ formulated the Schrödinger equation
§ electrons do not revolve in an orbit but roam
around a defined region of 3D space around the
nucleus which differs depending on the amount of
energy the electron has

Chadwick and the Neutron (1932)

James Chadwick
§ discovered the neutron
§ explained the gain of proton upon beta emission
§ 1935 Nobel Prize in Physics