1. Development of Atomic Structure
How long have people been interested in understanding matter and its structure?
Thousands of years
Hundreds of years
A few years
Never
Answer: A

2. Democritus (ca. 450 BC)

3. Ancient Philosophy Who: Aristotle & Democritus
When: More than 2000 years ago
Where: Greece
What: Aristotle believed in 4 elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Democritus believed that matter was made of small particles he named “atoms”.
Why: Aristotle and Democritus used observation and inference to explain the existence of everything.

4. Alchemists Who: European Scientists When: 800 – 900 years ago
Where: Europe
What: Their work developed into what is now modern chemistry.
Why: Trying to change ordinary materials into gold.

5. Alchemic Symbols

6. John Dalton ( )
Based his work on Lavoisier (Law of Convservation of Mass)

7. Dalton’s Atomic Theory (1830)
1) All matter is made of atoms. Atoms are indivisible and indestructible.
2) All atoms of a given element are identical in mass and properties.
3) Compounds are formed by a combination of two or more different kinds of whole atoms.
4) A chemical reaction is a rearrangement of atoms.

8. J.J. Thomson ( )
Discovery of ELECTRON

9. Thomson’s Cathode Ray Experiment (1897)
Ray of electrically charged particles through vacuum tube
Ray “bent” towards positive plate
Must be some negative component to matter

12. Ernest Rutherford ( )
Discovery of NUCLEUS

13. Rutherford’s Gold Foil Experiment (1909)
Shot alpha particles (+) through gold foil
98% passed through undeflected
2% deflected back

14. Therefore…
Small, dense, positively charged mass in center of atom deflecting 2% of alpha particles
Called NUCLEUS (contains protons and neutrons)
Atom is mostly EMPTY SPACE

15. Subatomic Particles Particle Symbol Location Charge Mass Electron e-
Surrounding nucleus -1
Proton p+
Inside nucleus +1 1
Neutron n0