Atomic

Theory
Timeline
HOW HAVE OUR IDEAS ABOUT ATOMS
CHANGED OVER THE YEARS?

Prepared by: Submitted to:

NUQUE, Angelo Julius T. Ma’am Jimnaira U. ABANTO
PEREZ, Rae Xyril C.
RETUERTO, Andrea Rose L. ICT – 101 | Physical Science
 Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................................2
Guide card ..................................................................................................................................................................3
400 B.C | Democritus and Leucippus ..........................................................................................................3
300 B.C. to Early 1800’s | Aristotle and other philosophers ...................................................................3
1808| John DALTON ..........................................................................................................................................4
1897| Joseph John THOMSON.......................................................................................................................4
1908| Ernest RUTHERFORD ...............................................................................................................................5
1913| Niels BOHR...............................................................................................................................................5
1913| Schrodinger, Heisenberg, Einstein and many other scientists .................................................6
1932 | James Chadwick .................................................................................................................................6
SUMMARY ...............................................................................................................................................................7
ENRICHMENT CARD ..............................................................................................................................................9
ACTIVITY CARD .................................................................................................................................................. 13
ASSESSMENT CARD ........................................................................................................................................... 14
Assessment #1 ................................................................................................................................................. 14
Assessment #2 ................................................................................................................................................. 15
ANSWER SHEETS................................................................................................................................................. 16
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................................ 16

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 INTRODUCTION
The model of the atom has changed from the early
Greek model due to evidence from several scientific
experiments and observations. Older models were
modified or improved upon as warranted by these new
evidences. The objective of this project is to look at the
main atomic models and the scientists involved with their
development and create a timeline to depict the
development of the atomic theory.

Scientific knowledge builds on past research and

experimentation.

The atomic theory has changed over time as new

technologies have become available.

In this lesson, we will review the development of the

atomic theory.

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 Guide card
400 B.C | Democritus and Leucippus.
Leucippus and Democritus were two of the most important
theorists about the natural and physical world. They were
called physicists in Ancient Greece. They considered the idea
of atomism, or the idea that things are made up of much
smaller things that cannot be changed nor divided. Among
the features of their theory were the following:
 Atoms make up most of the Figure 1: Leucippus and Democritus
things in the universe; where there are no atoms, there is a void.
 Atoms are incredibly small and cannot be divided, hence
atomos (uncuttable).
 Atoms themselves are solid, homogeneous and cannot
change.
 Atoms moving about and colliding in the void cause the
changes we see in our universe.
 The shapes, sizes and weights of individual atoms influence
Figure 2: Democritus' ideas about atom
the characteristics of the thing they make up

300 B.C. to Early 1800’s | Aristotle and other philosophers

Ideas that served as arguments against atomism and what this

revealed about how the Greeks thought about matter and the
world:
• The philosopher Anaxagoras argued that there was an
infinite number of elementary natural substances in the
form of infinitesimally small particles that combined to
comprise the different things in the universe. Figure 3: Plato and Aristotle with other
Philosophers
• Another theory by a philosopher named Empedocles stated that everything is made up
of four eternal and unchanging kinds of matter, fire, air (all gases), water (all liquids and
metals) and earth (all solids).
• The well-known philosopher Plato further expanded Empedocles’ theory by saying each
of the four kinds of matter is composed of geometrical solids further divisible into triangles.
• Aristotle, on the other hand, believed that the four elements could be balanced in
substances that could be combined further. substances in an infinite number of ways,
and that when combined gave proportions of “essential qualities,” hot, dry, cold and
wet. Transformations between the four elements caused changes in the universe.

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1808| John DALTON
English Chemist, John Dalton, performed a
number of experiments that eventually led to the
acceptance of the idea of atoms. He formulated
the first atomic theory since the “death of
chemistry” that occurred during the prior 2000
years. Dalton theorized that all matter is made of
atoms. Atoms are too small to see, “uncuttable,”
and indestructible. All atoms of a given element
are exactly alike and atoms of different elements
are different.
He proposed the Law of Multiple
Proportions. This law led directly to the proposal of
the Atomic Theory in 1803. He also developed the Figure 4: John Dalton (Top left) and his Periodic Table (Right)
concept of the mole and proposed a system of
symbols to represent atoms of different elements. (The symbols currently used were developed
by J.J. Berzelius (1779-1848)). Dalton recognized the existence of atoms of elements and that
compounds formed from the union of these atoms. He therefore assumed that simplest ratios
would be used in nature and came up with a formula for water of HO. He then assigned a
relative atomic weight of one to hydrogen and developed a relative atomic weight scale from
percent composition data and assumed atomic ratios. Today we would refer to these as
equivalent masses.

1897| Joseph John THOMSON

Joseph John Thomson, published the idea that electricity was in particles that were part
of the atom. Experimenting with cathode rays, he established the mass and charge properties
of these particles. These particles were named electrons. In 1904, he came up with the plum-
pudding model, which was an idea of what the atom looked like based on his experiments. He
would later conclude that the electron was not the only source of mass in the atom. This implied
that the atom was composed of other particles.

Figure 5 : Cathode ray experiment (Left), J.J. Thomson's atomic model (Center), and Himself (Right)

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1908| Ernest RUTHERFORD
English physicist, Ernest Rutherford, performed an experiment using positively charged
particles fired at gold foil. Through his experiment, he proved that atoms are not a “pudding”
filled with a positively charged material. He theorized that atoms have a small, dense, positively
charged center, which he called the “nucleus”. He said that nucleus is tiny compared to the
atom as a whole, because the atom is mostly open space. He concluded that the negatively
charged particles are scattered outside the nucleus at a distance.
He concluded that radioactivity occurred due to changes on a subatomic level, or
changes within the atom itself. In 1902, he worked in Thomson’s laboratory where he
distinguished two kinds of radiation based on their penetrating power: α (alpha) and β (beta).
He studied these types of radiation and noticed, from his experiments, that alpha particles
would sometimes bounce off at a high angle when made to penetrate a very thin gold foil.

Figure 6: Ernest Rutherford and his contributions on atomic theory

1913| Niels BOHR

Niels Bohr, another scientist in Rutherford’s
laboratory, tackled one of the big issues with the
Rutherford model in 1913. The system proposed by
Rutherford was unstable because, under classical
physics, the spinning electrons would tend to be
attracted to the positive nucleus and lose energy until
they collapse into the center. Bohr proposed that the
electrons existed only at fixed distances from the
nucleus at set “energy levels,” or quanta. Quanta was Figure 7: Niels Bohr (Left) and his atomic model (Right)
first conceptualized mathematically by Max Planck.
Bohr also proposed that the electrons “jumped” between energy levels by absorbing or
releasing discrete amounts of energy.

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1913| Schrodinger, Heisenberg, Einstein and many other scientists

Quantum mechanics. This branch

augmented the Bohr model with new
explanations of how matter behaved at a very
tiny level that turned it into the quantum model
of the atom used today. The model is based on
mathematical equations by several scientists,
including Werner Heisenberg and Ernest
Schrödinger.
• Instead of electrons being particles in the
model, electrons have characteristics of
both waves and particles.
Figure 8: Members of the Foundation of Quantum Mechanics
• Instead of orbits, there were orbitals or
regions of space with high probability of finding electrons. These are sometimes known
as electron clouds or electron subshells whose shapes are described by complex wave
equations.
• There is no real “empty space,” but there are regions with a high or low probability of
finding an electron.
The quantum model more accurately explains properties of
elements such as the way that atoms bond with one another.
However, it made Rutherford’s proposal of composite proton
electron particles unworkable. This is because the equations
would predict that there was a zero probability of electrons being
found in the nucleus. The mass unaccounted for by the protons
had to come from another particle entirely. Figure 9: Quantum Mechanics Model

1932 | James Chadwick

James Chadwick was a student of Rutherford’s who

built on this possibility in 1926. He worked on radiation emitted
by beryllium that took the form of particles heavy enough to
displace protons. These particles were as heavy as protons,
but they needed to have a neutral charge that would allow
them to smash into the nucleus without being repelled by
electrons or protons. He confirmed their existence by
measuring their mass and called them neutrons. He
determined that they were single particles instead of
composite ones that Rutherford had hypothesized. Figure 10: James Chadwick's concept of
quarks of protons and neutrons
Since 1932, through continued experimentation, many
additional particles have been discovered in the atom. Also, new elements have been created
by bombarding existing nuclei with various subatomic particles. The atomic theory has been
further enhanced by the concept that protons and neutrons are made of even smaller units
called quarks. The quarks themselves are in turn made of vibrating strings of energy.

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 SUMMARY
Leucippus and Democritus considered the idea of atomism, or the idea that things are made
up of much smaller things that cannot be changed nor divided. Among the features of their
theory were the following:
 Matter is composed of atoms separated by empty space through which the atoms
move.
 Atoms are solid, homogeneous, indivisible, and unchangeable.
 All apparent changes in matter result from changes in the groupings of atoms.
 There are different kinds of atoms that differ in size and shape.
 The properties of matter reflect the properties of the atoms the matter contains.
Ideas that served as arguments against atomism and what this revealed about how the
Greeks thought about matter and the world:
 Anaxagoras argued that there was an infinite number of elementary natural substances
in the form of infinitesimally small particles
 Empedocles stated that everything is made up of four eternal and unchanging kinds of
matter
 Plato further expanded Empedocles’ theory by saying each of the four kinds of matter is
composed of geometrical solids further divisible into triangles.
 Aristotle believed that the four elements could be balanced in substances that could be
combined further. substances in an infinite number of ways, and that when combined
gave proportions of “essential qualities”
Atomic model: John Dalton
1. Matter is made of small indivisible atoms.
2. Atoms can’t be subdivided, created or destroyed.
2.1 Atoms of the same element have the same property.
2.2 Atoms of different elements have different properties.
3. Atoms of different elements can form compounds.
Plum-pudding model: J.J. Thomson
1. An atom is electrically neutral. It has no charge.
2. In an atom, both positive charges and negative charges are equal.
3. An atom is made out of a sphere of positive charges with negatively charged electron
embedded in it.

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Planetary model: Niels Bohr
1. Electrons orbit the nucleus in orbits that have specific size and energy.
2. The energy of the orbit is related to its size. The lowest energy is found in the smallest orbit.
3. Electrons reside in orbits. They move between each shell when gaining or losing energy.
4. When gaining energy, electrons move to farther orbit from the nucleus. When losing
energy, electrons move to closer orbit from the nucleus.
Quantum Mechanical Model:
1. Electrons don’t move around the nucleus in orbits.
2. Electrons exist in specific energy levels as a cloud.
3. The electron cloud is the region of negative charges, which surrounds the nucleus.
4. Orbital: The region with a high probability of containing electrons.
James Chadwick detected neutrons and measure their mass

Figure 11: Infographics of modern timeline of atomic theory

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 ENRICHMENT CARD
Scientists Who Have a Contribution to the Atomic Theory and Chemistry

Robert Boyle's (1627-1691) major contribution to the atomic theory

was that he helped develop a definition of an element (any substance
that can be broken into 2 or more substances is not an element), helped
with " the death" of the four elements, change the way people think of
science, and emphasize the importance of experiments and precise
measurements.

Figure 12: Robert Boyle

Johann Becher and Georg Stahl (1660-1734) developed the

Phlogiston theory which dominated chemistry between 1670 and
1790. Basically, when something burned, it lost phlogiston to the air
(after all, you could see the phlogiston leaving) A problem with the
theory was that burning of metals resulted in an increase in the mass.
This problem was solved by assigning negative mass to phlogiston.
Figure 13: Johann Becher (Top left),
Georg Stahl (Top right), and their
Phlogiston theory

Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794) was the first person to make

good use of the balance. He was an excellent experimenter. After a
visit with Priestly in 1774, he began careful study of the burning process.
He proposed the Combustion Theory which was based on sound mass
measurements. He named oxygen. He also proposed the Law of
Conversation of Mass which represents the beginning of modern
chemistry.
Figure 14: Antoine Lavoisier with his
apparatus

Joseph Proust (1754-1826) proposed the Law of Constant Composition

in 1799. This law was very radical at the time and was hotly contested by
Claude Berthollet (1748-1822).
Figure 15: Joseph Proust

Joseph Gay-Lussac (1778-1850) announced the Law of Combining

Volumes in 1808. He showed that at the same temperature and pressure, two
volumes of hydrogen gas reacted with one volume of oxygen gas to produce
two volumes of water (as a gas).
Figure 16: Joseph Gay-
Lussac

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 Amedeo Avogadro (1776-1856) proposed what
is now known as Avogadro's Hypothesis in 1811. The
hypothesis states that at the same temperature and
pressure, equal volumes of gases contain the same
number of molecules or atoms. When this is combined
with Gay-Lussac's Law of Combining Volumes, the only
possible formulas for hydrogen, oxygen and water are
H2, O2 and H2O, respectively. The solution to the
atomic weight problem was at hand in 1811. However,
Avogadro's Hypothesis was a radical statement at the
time and was not widely accepted until fifty years later.
Figure 17: Amedeo Avogadro testing his hypothesis

A botanist named Robert Brown (1773-1858)

observed, under a microscope, that pollen suspended in
water ejected particles that caused a jittery, irregular
motion called Brownian motion.
Figure 18: Robert Brown and the Brownian motion

In the 1830's, Michael Faraday, a British

physicist, made one of the most significant
discoveries that led to the idea that atoms had
an electrical component. Faraday placed two
opposite electrodes in a solution of water
containing a dissolved compound. He
observed that one of the elements of the
dissolved compound accumulated on one
electrode, and the other element was Figure 19: Michael Faraday and an example of electrical force
deposited on the opposite electrode. It was
clear to Faraday that electrical forces were responsible for the joining of atoms in compounds.
In 1879, Sir William Crookes studied the
effects of sending an electric current through
a gas in a sealed tube. The tube had
electrodes at either end and a flow of
electrically charged particles moved from
one of electrodes. This electrode was called
the cathode, and the particles were known as
cathode rays. The particles were first believed
to be negatively charged atoms or
Figure 20: Sir William Crooks and the Cathode-ray tube experiment molecules. However, subsequent experiments
showed that these particles could penetrate
thin sheets of material which would not be possible if the particles were as large as atoms or
molecules.

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 In 1895, Wilhelm Roentgen, experimenting
with cathode rays, discover ed new and different
kinds of rays. Roentgen discovered that if he
directed these rays toward a paper plate coated
with barium platinocyanide, the plate became
fluorescent. During subsequent experiments, he
found the rays created an image on a photographic
plate. These "new" rays were originally known as
Roentgen rays. We know them today as x-rays which
are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Figure 21: Wilhelm Roentgen and his x-ray device

In 1896, Henri Bequerel was studying the fluorescent properties

of uranium salts and placed a piece of the uranium salt on top of a
photographic plate wrapped in black paper. He discovered, upon
development, that the plate was exposed in the shape of the uranium
sample. Bequerel had discovered radioactivity. The radiation emitted
by the uranium shared
Figure 22: First image of certain properties with x-rays
radioactivity and light. Becquerel and
two of his students, Marie and Pierre Curie, shared the
1903 Nobel Prize in Physics for their studies in
spontaneous radiation.

Figure 23: (Left to right) Henri Beguerel, Pierre Curie, and

Marie Curie

Stanislao Cannizzaro (1826-1910), in 1860 at the Karlsruhe Conference,

proposed that Avogadro's Hypothesis be accepted and the implications used
for a period of five years. At the end of this five-year period, a new conference
would be called to discuss any problems that might develop; this second
conference was never called.

Figure 24: Stanislao

Cannizzaro

Dimitri Mendeleev (1834-1907) proposed the

periodic law and developed the first periodic table
in 1869. Medeleev's table was arranged according
to increasing atomic weight and left holes for
elements that were yet to be discovered.

Figure 25: Dimitri Mendeleev and his periodic table layout

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 Robert Millikan (1868-1953)
determined the unit charge of the
electron in 1909 with his oil drop
experiment at the University of
Chicago. Thus, allowing for the
calculation of the mass of the
electron and the positively
charged atoms.
Figure 26: Robert Millikan and his Oil drop experiment

Eugene Goldstein (1850-1930) was a

Figure 27: Eugene Goldstein's proposed atomic model and his
Canal-ray tube
German Physicist that discovered that protons
have an equal and opposite charge as an
electron. He used cathodes rays and at the same
time discovered canal rays. Canal rays are the
opposite from Cathode rays. When Goldstein sent
the Cathode rays through the Cathode ray,
which are full of electrons, he observed that there
were rays going in the opposite direction. Those
were the Canal rays. He assumed that these new
rays had equal and opposite charge of the
electron. He also determined that the mass of the
proton is 1,840 times heavier than an electron.
Here is a picture to hopefully clarify how a
cathode ray looks and works.

Henry Moseley (1887-1915) discovered that

the energy of x-rays emitted by the elements
increased in a linear fashion with each successive
element in the periodic table. In 1913, he proposed
that the relationship was a function of the positive
charge on the nucleus. This rearranged the
periodic table by using the atomic number instead
of atomic mass to represent the progression of the
elements. This new table left additional holes for Figure 28: Henry Moseley and his periodic table layout
elements that would soon be discovered.
Francis Aston (1877-1945) invented
the mass spectrograph in 1920. He was the
first person to observe isotopes. For
example, he observed that there were
three different kinds of hydrogen atoms.
While most of the atoms had a mass
number of 1, he also observed hydrogen
Figure 29: Francis Aston and his Mass spectrograph atoms with mass numbers of 2 and 3.
Modern atomic masses are based on mass spectral analysis. His work led Rutherford to predict
the existence of the neutron.

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 ACTIVITY CARD
I. Create a summarized timeline of atomic theory (15 pts)
 8 pts - Content
 4 pts - Design
 3 pts - Cleanliness

II. Draw the following models and label its parts, and its analogy:
• Atomos
• The four elements
• J. Dalton’s theory
• J.J. Thomson’s theory
• E. Rutherford’s theory
• N. Bohr’s theory
• Quantum mechanics theory
 Criteria:
 2 pts each – Complete
 1 pt each – incomplete
 +1 – Cleanliness

III. In your own words, explain the following theories:

(15 pts) (1 – 3 pts for each explanation)
• J. Dalton’s theory
• J.J. Thomson’s theory
• E. Rutherford’s theory
• N. Bohr’s theory
• Quantum mechanics theory

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 ASSESSMENT CARD
Assessment #1
TRUE OF FALSE: Write T if the statement is correct, and F if the statement is
incorrect.
_______1. Atomic theory originated as a philosophical concept in ancient
India and Greece.
_______2. John Dalton theorized that all matter is made of small divisible
atoms.
_______3. John Thomson performed an experiment using positively charged
particles fired at gold foil.
_______4. In 1916, Niels Bohr, tackled one of the big issues with the Rutherford
model.
_______5. In planetary model, electrons reside in orbits. They move between
each path when gaining or losing energy.
_______6. In J.J. Thomson’s theory, an atom is electrically neutral. It has a
charge.
_______7. All atoms of a given elements are exactly alike and atoms of
different elements are different.
_______8. Democritus and Leucippus considered the idea that atoms are
made up of much smaller things that can be changed and divided.
_______9. Aristotle believed that the four elements could be balanced in
substance that could be combined further.
_______10. In quantum mechanics theory, Electrons exist in specific energy
level as a cloud.

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Assessment #2
IDENTIFICATION: Answer these questions and write it on the space provided (10 pts)

____________________1. Which scientist saw the
atom as a positively charged sphere with
negative particles (electrons) embedded
within?
o John Dalton o J.J. Thomson
o Niels Bohr o Ernest Rutherford
____________________2. Which scientist proposed
a model of the atom in which the electrons are
orbiting at different levels?
____________________7. Why has the model of an
atom changed over time?
o Scientists discovered new information about
atoms over time.
o Scientists couldn't agree on what the atom
looked like.
o Atoms today are different than they were for
Democritus in Greece.
o Atoms are always changing and may be
different in the future.

o Ernest Rutherford o John Dalton ____________________8. Bohr's model of the atom

o James Chadwick o Niels Bohr proposed that ___.

____________________3. Which scientist o the nucleus spins

discovered that most of an atom's mass is o neutrons do not exist, but are just paired
contained in its nucleus and the rest is nearly protons and electrons
empty space? o neutrons move around the nucleus
o electrons move around the nucleus in fixed
o Ernest Rutherford o Niels Bohr orbits
o John Dalton o J.J. Thomson
____________________9. Which statement is true
____________________4. according to current thinking?
Order the atomic models
below from the oldest to o An atom is mostly empty space.
the most recent. o An atom is a collection of particles, so tightly
o 2, 1, 3, and 4 packed that there is little empty space.
o 1, 2, 4, and 3 o neutrons do not exist, but are just paired
o 3, 2, 4, and 1 protons and the atomic nucleus is very
o 3, 1, 2, and 4 mobile, and moves around inside a cloud of
electrons.
____________________5. One of the Dalton's o The size of atoms changes over time,
conclusions concerning his atomic theory was pulsating from large to small to large again.
that all the atoms of the same element are ___.
____________________10. Which of the following
o the same o combined correctly describes the electron cloud model?
o different o reacted
o Electrons do not follow fixed orbits, but are
____________________6. Which scientist used his found more frequently in areas around the
gold foil experiment to show that an atom has a nucleus.
small, central, positively charged nucleus that o Electrons are found in fixed orbitals around a
contains most of the atom's mass? positive nucleus.
o All of an atom's mass is concentrated in the
o John Dalton o Ernest Rutherford electron cloud around the nucleus.
o James Chadwick o J.J. Thomson o Electrons are evenly embedded throughout
a positively charged sphere.

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 ANSWER SHEETS
Assessment #1 Assessment #2
1. T 1) J.J. Thomson
2. T 2) Niels Bohr
3. F 3) Ernest Rutherford
4. F 4) 3, 2, 4, and 1
5. F 5) the same
6. F 6) Ernest Rutherford
7. T 7) Scientists discovered new information
8. F about atoms over time.
9. T 8) electrons move around the nucleus in
10. T fixed orbits
9) An atom is mostly empty space.
10)Electrons do not follow fixed orbits,
but are found more frequently in
areas around the nucleus.

REFERENCES
 https://www.lincolnparkboe.org/userfiles/33/Classes/239/Atomic%20Theory%
20Information%20Book.pdf
 https://medium.com/@Intlink.edu/a-timeline-of-atomic-models-
cb2607b1da85
 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B869YF0KEHr7SHFGVG5mVFFhcXc/view
 https://sites.google.com/site/robertboyletheskepticalchemist/
 https://cstl-csm.semo.edu/cwmcgowan/ch181/atomhist.htm
 http://www.abcte.org/files/previews/chemistry/s1_p1.html?nPage=1&nSecti
on=1
 https://sites.google.com/site/structureatomic/460-bc-and-the-1800-
s/eugene-goldstein-1885
 http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/history/leucippus.html
 https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/5b9a54884db2980019342814/atomic-theory-
timeline

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