Oldest mention of the atom…

Democritus suggested that if you

kept splitting an object in half, you
would eventually get to a tiny,
fundamental piece that can’t be
broken down any further.
 Atom

The smallest particle of an

element that has the
chemical properties of
that element
Key Players in Modern Atomic
Theory
John Dalton

• English school
teacher turned
Chemist
• Proposed his
atomic theory in
1808
All matter is
composed of tiny,
indivisible particles
called atoms
Postulate 1
Atoms of a given
element are
identical

Postulate 2
Atoms of a given
element are
different from those
of any other
element
Postulate 3
Atoms of different
elements combine in
simple whole-number
ratios to form
chemical compounds
Postulate 4
Examples:
CO2
Cu(NO3)2
H2O
 H2O

2 Hydrogen
1 Oxygen
Fe(NO3)2
Fe(NO3)2

1 Iron
2 Nitrogen
6 Oxygen
Let’s do our last postulate…
Atoms cannot be
created or destroyed. In
chemical reactions,
atoms are combined,
separated, or
rearranged
Postulate 5
Where Dalton was Wrong!

2 of Dalton’s postulates
are not exactly correct.
Which are they?
Every atom of a given element
always has one thing that is the
same. What is it?

The same
number of
protons
J.J. Thomson’s Cathode Ray
Experiment

• British Physicist
• Performed his
experiments in the late
1800s
• Until this time, it was not
believed that the atom
was composed of
various parts
 J.J. Thomson

• Discovered atoms
contain electrons
in 1897 by using a
cathode ray tube
Cathode Ray Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9Goyscbazk
 Plum Pudding Model

Thomson believed that electrons were like

raisins embedded in a positively charged
‘pudding’ (plum pudding model)
 Plum Pudding Model
Thomson believed
the mass of the
atom was uniformly
distributed
throughout the
atom
JJ Thomson discovered the
electron
Postulate in#1:1897,
Matterwhich
is made of
of
tiny, indivisible particles
Dalton’s postulates did this
discovery
ACTUALLY, change?
electrons are smaller
than atoms and are in every
atom
What tool did JJ
Thomson use to discover
the electron?
How did Thomson know that atoms
must include a negatively charged
particle?
 Model of the atom in 1897

With the person next to you, brainstorm a

way to test if this is the correct structure of
the atom.
Ernest Rutherford

• New Zealander
• In 1911
performed his
gold foil
experiment
The Gold Foil
Experiment
Observations from gold foil
experiment:
1)Most of the alpha particles
passed through the gold foil un-
deflected
2)Very few bounced back (great
deflection)
Modern Atomic Theory

Actual
Results

Expected
Results
 Rutherford’s Conclusion:

1) The nucleus is small,

dense, and has a
positive charge
2) The nucleus is
composed of protons
and neutrons
Summarize the gold foil
experiment. What model did
Rutherford’s experiment
disprove?
Niels Bohr

1912
Convinced atom
was small positive
nucleus with
electrons orbiting
around it
• Constructed model of
the hydrogen atom
Bohr Model
with quantized energy
levels (electrons can
only exist on certain
energy levels/rings)
 Pros and Cons of the Bohr Model

Pros:
+The model Con:
gives us a clear -Electrons DO NOT
visual of the move around the
atom nucleus in circular
+Accurate orbits like planets
model for orbiting the sun
Hydrogen
Rules for drawing Bohr Models

1) We will be working with neutral atoms, so we can

expect the number of electrons in each element to
be equal to that element’s number of protons!
(#electrons = #protons)
2) Draw each electron energy level with a ring.
3) Electrons fill energy levels in the following way:

2 8 18
Bohr Model

Carbon 6 Protons
6 Electrons
Bohr Model

Nitrogen
7 protons
7 electrons
Bohr Model

Sodium
? protons
? electrons
What must be included?
 All 4 Scientists associated with the atomic theory

 The atomic model each scientist developed (include dates)

 The subatomic particles each scientist discovered

 The experiments that led to each discovery/ model

 QUIZ TIME!
1. Discovered atom when he pounded up
materials in his pestle and mortar until
he had reduced them to smaller and
smaller particles.
2. Suggested that all matter was made up
of tiny spheres that were able to
bounce around with perfect elasticity
3. Found that atoms could sometimes
eject a far smaller negative particle
which he called an electron
 QUIZ TIME!
4. Discovered atoms contain electrons in
1897 by using a cathode ray tube
5. In 1911 performed his gold foil
experiment
6. Idea that matter is composed of
elements and that different elements
combine to make new things.
7. Defined elements as substance that
cannot be broken down into simpler ones
 QUIZ TIME!
8. An English chemist who started out his
research examining the medicinal effect
of various gases
9. He noticed that certain elements in
groups of 3 had similar physical &
chemical properties with the atomic
weight of the middle element being
halfway between the other two
10. Discovered that the positive charge in
the nucleus of an atom of any element is
of a definite amount.
1.Democritus
2.John Dalton
3.J.J Thomson
4.J.J Thomson
5.Ernest Rutherford
6.Empedocles
7.Robert Boyle
8.Humprey Davy
9.Johann Dobereiner
10.Henry Moseley