1. The volume occupied by an atom must consist of a large amount of empty space.

2. A small, relatively heavy, positively charged body, the nucleus, must be at the center of each atom

– he named the fundamental particle the proton, the positively charged, subatomic particle found in the
nucleus

4.3 Modern Atomic Theory

– atomic mass unit (amu) is the unit of mass that is used for masses of atoms, molecules, and subatomic
particles

– diameter of an atom is on the order of 10−10 m

4.3.1 Atomic Structure

Subatomic particles

Subatomic particle Location in Atom Relative size Unit Charge

Proton Outside the nucleus 1.0073 amu +1

Electron nucleus 1.0087 amu -1

Neutron nucleus 0.00055 amu 0

– neutral atom: if the number of electrons & protons is equal

– atomic number (Z) is the defining trait of an element: Its value determines the identity of the atom