J1 THE STRUCTURE OF THE ATOM

Atoms
All matter is made from atoms. It would take more than a
Million million atoms to cover this full stop.
An atom has a tiny central nucleus made of protons and
Neutrons (apart from the simplest atom, hydrogen whose
Nucleus is a single proton). Orbiting the nucleus are much
Lighter particles called electrons
by a
Lithhim ston
to overcome the
Neutron has no
Charge

An atom has the same number of electrons as protons, so the

Amounts of negative and positive charge balance
unlike charges (-and 4) attract each other This electric force
holds electronics in orbit around the nucleus
like charges (-and also 4 and 4)repel each
how ever the particles in the nucleus are held together

Negative
Electric
Charge
only
Nucleus

Atoms can stick together in solids for example. The forces

that bind them are attraction between opposite charges.
Moving electrons in metals some of the electrons are

an overall

strong nuclear force. Which is strong enough

repulsion between the portions.

loosely held to their atoms these free electrons can drift

between the atoms. The electric current in a wire is a flow
Of free electrons
Proton has a
If an atom gains or losses electrons it is left with
positive electric
-or + charge charged atoms are called ions.

Early models of the atom

In 1810 the mode of the atom was john Daltons Billiard ball
Model. According to this model the atom was the smallest
Piece of an element that was possible it was imagined to be a
Small solid sphere

He measured a value for e/m. This led to the Plum Pudding

Model of the atom. According to this model. The atom was a
positive material or pudding in which the electrons were
negative particles, or plums. Thomson imagined them
Circulating inside the positive material. The bullet points
Above were still part of the new model.

In this model atoms

Of n element have identical masses

Of different elements have different masses
Combine only in small, whole number ratios (for example
1:1,1:2,2:3)
Cannot be created of destroyed

In 1987 Joseph John Thomson used electric and magnetic

Fields to deflect electron beams (see H11) and showed that the
Electron was a negative particle.

Evidence for nucleus

This experiment was carried out by Hans Geiger and Ernest
Marsden under the supervision of Ernest Rutherford.
A thin piece of gold foil was bombarded with alpha particles
Which are positively charged (see 13) Most of the alpha
Particles passed straight through the gold atoms. But a few
Were repelled so strongly that they bounced back or were
Deflected through large angles, These results came as a big
Surprise and in 1911 Rutherford proposed a new model, the

Nuclear model to take account of them According to this

model virtually all the mass of the atom is concentrated at
the centre in a positively charged nucleus with much lighter
negatively charged electrons in orbit around it. Rutherford
calculated the scattering this would cause and showed that the
model was consistent with the experimental results.

How Science Works

Recent models of the atom

Elements, nuclides and isotopes

In 1913 the Rutherford.-Bohr model took account of the

Work of Henry Moseley who showed that the atomic number
Corresponded to the number of positive charges (protons) in
The nucleus and the work of Niels Bohr. Who suggested that
The elect ons have certain allowed circular orbits or shelts
Since then changes to the model have included

Everything is made from about 100 substances called

elements For most elements a sample contents a number of
different versions called isotopps . These have the same
number of protions (and electrons). But different numbers of
neutrons This table shows some examples (italic numbers are
for rarer isotopes).

The wave mechanical

set
Up stationary waves around the
The idea of neutrons in
Discovery of the neutron
The idea that neutrons and
The existence of other
Our understanding of the atom is
Nature of science knowledge. The
Continually being refined as we
Atom and its properties we can
Continue in the future

Element

Electrons

Hydrogen

Protons

Neutrons

0 or1 or 2

1 or 2

Lithium

3 or 4

Carbon

6 or 7or 8

92

92

Helium

uranium

E= electron (-)
P= proton (+)
N= neutron

142 or 143or 146

model in which the electrons

nucles (see12)
the nucleus, following the
by james Chadwick in 1932
protons are made of quarks
fundamental particles (seek2)
an example of the tentative
model we use is

discover more about the

expect that this process may

Atomic measurements
Mass of proton

1.673 10 -27 kg

Mass of neutron

1.675 10 -27kg

Mass of electron

9.110 10-31 kg

Charge on proton

+1.60 10-19C

Nuclide; This is any particular version of

anatom, above are
Simple models of the two naturally occurring
nuclides of
Lithium along with the symbols used to represent them.

Charge of electron -1.60 10 -19 C

Diameter of an atom -10 -10 m

The proton and neutron have approximately the same

Mass- about 1800 times that of the election.
- means of the order of i.e within a factor ten of
The diameter of an atom is -104 times that of its nucleus
(Anton size varies from element to element)
Confusingly the symbol e may be used to represented the
Charge on an electron (-) or a proton (+) in this unit the
Charge on an electron will called -e

Diameter of a nucleus -10 -14 m

Note