Structure of the

Atom

The Atom
The Greeks concluded that matter
could not be divided into smaller
and smaller parts forever. The
smallest possible part that could be
obtained was called the atom, from
the Greek word, atomos, meaning
indivisible.

Daltons Model
Dalton believed in a model similar to the Greeks.
He believed that the atom was solid. He did not
know of the subatomic parts.

Main Points of Daltons Model

Elements are made of tiny particles called atoms
All atoms of a given element are identical
The atoms of a given element are different from those

of any other element

Atoms of one element can combine with atoms of
other elements to form compounds. A given
compound always has the same relative numbers of
types of atoms.
Atoms cannot be created, divided into smaller
particles, nor destroyed in the chemical process. A
chemical reaction simply changes the way atoms are
grouped together.

Thomson
Thomson discovered that atoms
contained electrons. He knew that
atoms are neutral, meaning that the
number of positive charges must equal
the negative charges. Using this
reasoning, he concluded that the
atom must also contain positive
particles too. Thomson knew that
opposite charges attract and like repel.
His model of the atom was that it was
solid, with the charges equally spread
out. See the next slide.

Thomsons model of the atom.

Rutherford

Rutherford was attempting to prove

Thompsons model of the atom.
Using the set-up shown on the next
slide, he expected to show the atom
was solid.
What he noticed was something
entirely different.

Rutherfords Experimental Set-up. He was attempting to

prove that Thompsons model of the atom
was correct.

Rutherfords particle emitter fired out

POSITIVELY CHARGED
subatomic particles.

Rutherfords Results
1. Most of the particles passed right

through the foil.

Conclusion: The atom

must be mostly empty

space since they
passed through.

Rutherfords Results
2. Some of the particles were deflected

and some actually bounced back.

Conclusions: Since like charges

repel, there must be a group of

positive charges surrounded by
negative charges.
Rutherford was Right!!!!

Models
Rutherford was attempting to gather

more information for the Model of

the Atom.
His new information contradicted
the existing model for the atom.
The model was therefore altered to
fit the new data.
Had they not been able to alter it,
the model would have been

Rutherfords model of the atom, based upon his results.

Notice that the positive charges are in the nucleus and

THERE ARE NO NEUTRONS.

Electron Clouds
Later, as science progressed, it was

learned that electrons exist in

shells or clouds around the
nucleus of the atom.
The position of the electron is
determined by its energy level.
Electrons closest to the nucleus
have the least energy, while those
farther out have the greatest

Electron Configuration
If you study the next slide you
can see that each electron
shell or cloud has a maximum
number of electrons that it can
hold. The first, or K shell can
hold a maximum of 2 electrons.
The L and M shells can each
hold a maximum of 8 electrons.

Electron Placement. Notice that the first shell has no more

than two electrons. The next two energy levels
can contain up to 8 electrons. (This is an atom of Argon-AN 18).

Current Model of the Atom

The current model of the atom
takes Bohrs model and
polishes it. Electrons are in
various locations around the
nucleus of the atom, however
they are not in discrete paths.
Rather, they are in areas and
form electron clouds. See the

It is the PROTONS that determine the type of atom.

All of the atoms of a particular atom have the
same number of protons.

Helium has two protons, beryllium contains 4 protons,

neon 10 protons.

Neutrons
It is believed that the function

of the neutron is that it acts

as a subatomic glue,
keeping the protons in the
nucleus. If the ratio of neutrons
to protons is not correct for the
atom, the atom will most likely
become radioactive.

Isotopes
Isotopes are atoms within an element
that differ in weight. Remember
that the only two measurable parts
of the atom are the protons and
neutrons. Isotopes are elements
with the same number of protons
(atomic number) and a different
number of neutrons.

Here you can see the nucleus of a carbon atom. The most
common form of carbon is Carbon-12. This atom has 6 Protons
and 6 Neutrons. The ISOTOPE of carbon, Carbon-14 has
6 protons and 8 Neutrons.

See if you can complete the chart below.

The answers are on the next slide.

Review of the Structure of the Atom

Protons and neutrons are found in the nucleus. Protons
have a positive charge and a mass of 1 amu. Neutrons are
electrically neutral and have a mass of 1 amu. Atoms that
have the same number of protons but different numbers of
neutrons are called isotopes. The mass number of an atom
is the sum of the protons and neutrons in its nucleus. The
atomic mass of an element is the average mass of all the
naturally occurring isotopes of that element. The atomic
number is the number of protons in the atom. Electrons
have a negative charge. Within the electron cloud, electrons
are arranged in energy levels. There are four forces within
the atom. These are electromagnetic, strong, weak, and
gravity-govern the behavior of subatomic particles.