ACTIVITY NO. 9: The Contributions of J.J.

Thomson, Ernest Rutherford, Henry Moseley, and Niels Bohr

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YEAR & SECTION: SCORE:

Concept Notes:

What are the contributions of Joseph John (J.J.) Thomson, Ernest Rutherford, Henry Moseley, and Niels Bohr to the
understanding of the structure of the atom?

J.J. Thomson’s Discovery of the Electron

In 1897, J.J. Thomson discovered the electrons by conducting a series of experiments using a high-vacuum cathode-ray
tube that was composed of negatively charged particles 1000 times lighter than the hydrogen atom. He also proposed a
sea of positive charge for the overall neutrality of the atom. He then proposed an atomic model known as the plum
pudding model depicting a sphere of positive charge (pudding) with negatively charged particles (plums) embedded all
throughout.

Ernest Rutherford’s Discovery of the Nucleus

In the early 1900s, Rutherford discovered the nucleus containing positively charged particles called protons. He advised
his students, Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden, to bombard a thin sheet of gold foil with alpha particles. He assumed that
the alpha particles would just pass straight through the foil, meaning an atom has a void space. However, after the
experiment, some particles passed right through it, and some were deflected. He arrived at these two conclusions: (1)
The atom contained an empty space, as some particles went through the foil; and (2) The atom had a very dense center
of positive charge. From these, Rutherford proposed the planetary model. He believed that the electrons moved around
a nucleus.

Henry Moseley’s Atomic Number

In 1913, Henry Moseley, a British chemist, developed the use of X-ray in studying the structure of the atom. During this
time, a coherent structure of the atom was being developed, starting from J.J. Thomson’s discovery of the electron to
Rutherford’s publication of his planetary model. He published results of his measurements of wavelengths of the X-ray
emissions of some elements that coincided with the order of their atomic numbers. Moseley’s experimental data backed
up Rutherford’s structure of the atom with a very dense center of positive charge. The data also justified that the atomic
number of an element is the number of positive charges in its nucleus.

Niels Bohr’s Atomic Model

If you would recall in magnetism, unlike charges attract. In Rutherford’s model, since the electron and the nucleus have
opposite charges, the electrons would collapse into the nucleus, making the atom unstable. Niels Bohr modified this
model by proposing that the electrons move in fixed energy levels or orbits by absorbing or emitting energy.

Key Points
J.J. Thomson discovered the electron and proposed the plum pudding model.
Ernest Rutherford discovered the nucleus and proposed the planetary model.
Henry Moseley used the X-rays in studying the structure of the atom. The results of his experiments
supported Rutherford's model.
Niels Bohr proposed that the electrons move in fixed energy levels or orbits.

Exercises: Read each statement carefully. Encircle the letter/s of the correct answer.
1. Who discovered the electrons?
a. Ernest Rutherford b. Henry Moseley c. J.J. Thomson d. Niels Bohr
2. He developed the use of X-ray in studying the structure of the atom.
a. Ernest Rutherford b. Henry Moseley c. J.J. Thomson d. Niels Bohr
3. He concluded that atom has a central nucleus.
a. Ernest Rutherford b. Henry Moseley c. J.J. Thomson d. Niels Bohr
4. He proposed that an electron moves from one energy level to another.
a. Ernest Rutherford b. Henry Moseley c. J.J. Thomson d. Niels Bohr
5. What method did Moseley use to study positive charges?
a. IR spectroscopy c. UV spectrophotometry
b. Mass spectrometry d. X-ray spectroscopy
6. What was the problem involved in Rutherford's model?
a. In Rutherford's model, the electron and the nucleus can be compared to magnetism where unlike
charges attract.
b. In Rutherford's model, the electrons would collapse into the nucleus due to opposite charges,
making the atom unstable.
c. In Rutherford's model, the electrons would collapse into the nucleus due to electromagnetic force
acting upon the electrons.
d. In Rutherford's model, since the electrons and the nucleus have the same charges, they will repel
with each other, making the atom unstable.
7. How did Bohr solve the problem in Rutherford’s model?
a. He used a Geiger counter.
b. He showed that the atom had a void space.
c. He used X-ray spectrometry to study atoms.
d. He proposed the electrons move in set energy levels.
8. How did Moseley's experiments support Rutherford's model?
a. Moseley's experiments were inconclusive.
b. Moseley supported Rutherford by conducting the same experiments that he did.
c. Moseley's experiments proved that Rutherford's structure of the atom has a negatively charged
center.
d. Moseley’s experiments backed up Rutherford's structure of the atom with a very dense center of
positive charge.
9. Which of the following are true about Rutherford's contribution in the structure of the atom? (Give 2
answers.)
a. He discovered the nucleus containing a positively charged particles called protons.
b. He proposed that the electrons moved around a nucleus, which contained the protons.
c. He proposed that the electrons move in fixed energy levels or orbits by absorbing or emitting
energy.
d. He showed that the atomic number of an element is the same with the positive charge of the atom.
10. Which of the following is not true about the discovery of the different structures of the atom?
a. Henry Moseley developed the use of X-ray in studying the structure of the atom.
b. Rutherford discovered the nucleus containing positively charged particles called protons.
c. Niels Bohr proved that Rutherford's model was accurate by proposing that the electrons move in
fixed energy levels or orbits by absorbing or emitting energy.
d. J.J. Thomson discovered the electrons by conducting a series of experiments using a high-vacuum
cathode-ray tube that was composed of negatively charged particles 1000 times lighter than the
hydrogen atom.