Intro

During Dalton’s time, people thought that atoms were the smallest units of matter- tiny, hard spheres
that could not be broken down any further. This assumption persisted until experiments in physics
showed that the atom was composed of even smaller particles.

So, what are electrons?

Formerly known as “cathode ray particles” upon discovery, Electrons are the negatively charged
particles of atom. Together, all of the electrons of an atom create a negative charge that balances the
positive charge of the protons in the atomic nucleus. Electrons are extremely small compared to all of
the other parts of the atom. The mass of an electron is almost 1,000 times smaller than the mass of a
proton.

Who discovered electrons?

J.J. Thomson

How was it discovered?

In the late 19th century, physicist J.J. Thomson began experimenting with cathode ray tubes. Cathode
ray tubes are sealed glass tubes from which most of the air has been evacuated. A high voltage is
applied across two electrodes at one end of the tube, which causes a beam of particles to flow from the
cathode (the negatively-charged electrode) to the anode (the positively-charged electrode).

To test the properties of the particles, Thomson placed two oppositely-charged electric plates around
the cathode ray. The cathode ray was deflected away from the negatively-charged electric plate and
towards the positively-charged plate. This indicated that the cathode ray was composed of negatively-
charged particles.
Thomson also placed two magnets on either side of the tube, and observed that this magnetic field also
deflected the cathode ray. The results of these experiments helped Thomson determine the mass-to-
charge ratio of the cathode ray particles, which led to a fascinating discovery- the mass of each particle
was much, much smaller than that of any known atom.

Plum-pudding Model

Thomson knew that atoms had an overall neutral charge. Therefore, he reasoned that there must be a
source of positive charge within the atom to counterbalance the negative charge on the electrons. This
led Thomson to propose that atoms could be described as negative particles floating within a soup of
diffuse positive charge. Thomson proposed an atomic model with distinct negative charges floating
within a "sea" of positive charge. This model is often called the plum pudding model of the atom, due to
the fact that its description is very similar to plum pudding, a popular English dessert. However, this
model was later disproven by Ernest Rutherford.

J.J. Thomson Discoveries (Keypoints):

 The cathode ray is composed of negatively-charged particles called electrons.

 The particles must exist as part of the atom, since the mass of each particle is 1/2000, end
fraction the mass of a hydrogen atom.
 Thomson's plum pudding model of the atom had negatively-charged electrons embedded within
a positively-charged “pudding”

What was the importance of electron discovery?

 IN CHEMICAL BONDING

Electrons play a major role in all chemical bonds. There is one type of bonding called
electrovalent bonding (ionic), where an electron from one atom is transferred to another atom.
You wind up creating two ions as one atom loses an electron and one gains one. The second
type of bonding is called covalent bonding, where electrons are actually shared between two or
more atoms in a cloud.

ELECTRONICS

Electrons are very important in the world of electronics. The very small particles can stream
through wires and circuits, creating currents of electricity. The electrons move from negatively
charged parts to positively charged ones. The negatively charged pieces of any circuit have extra
electrons, while the positively charged pieces want more electrons. The electrons then jump
from one area to another. When the electrons move, the current can flow through the system.

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/chemistry/electronic-structure-of-atoms/history-of-atomic-
structure/a/discovery-of-the-electron-and-nucleus

http://www.chem4kids.com/files/atom_electron.html