The

Atomic Structure
 Learning Objectives
► Understand the basic structure of atoms
► Describe the atomic particles and its
components
 Democritus 460 BC
► Greek Philosopher
► Suggested world was made of two things –
empty space and “atomos”
 Atomos – Greek word for uncuttable
► 2 Main ideas
 Atoms are the smallest possible particle of
matter
 There are different types of atoms for each
material
2
John Dalton’s Atomic Theory
1804
1. All matter is made of atoms.
2. Atoms of one element are all the same.
3. Atoms cannot be broken down into smaller parts
4. Compounds form by combining atoms
 Dalton’s Early Atomic Model
► “Billiard Ball” model
► he envisioned atoms as solid, hard spheres,
like billiard(pool) balls, so he used
wooden balls to model them
 J.J. Thomson

1897
Discovered the electron

He was the first scientist to show the

atom was made of even smaller things
 JJ Thomson
► Used the Cathode ray tube to discover
electrons
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source
- +

Vacuum tube

Metal Disks
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source
- +
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source
- +
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source
- +

 Passingan electric current makes a

beam appear to move from the
negative to the positive end
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source
- +

 Passingan electric current makes a

beam appear to move from the
negative to the positive end
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source
- +

 Passingan electric current makes a

beam appear to move from the
negative to the positive end
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source
- +

 Passingan electric current makes a

beam appear to move from the
negative to the positive end
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source

►By adding an electric field

 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source

-
 By adding an electric field
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source

-
 By adding an electric field
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source

-
 By adding an electric field
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source

-
 By adding an electric field
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source

-
 By adding an electric field
 Thomson’s Experiment
Voltage source
+

- -
 Adding an electric field cause the beam to
move toward the positive plate.
 Thomson concluded the beam was made of
negative moving pieces.
Thomson’s “Plum Pudding” Atom Model
 Ernest Rutherford - 1913

• discovered the
nucleus of a
gold atom with
his “gold foil”
experiment
Using J.J Thomson’s Plum Pudding atomic
model, Rutherford predicted the alpha
particles would pass straight though the gold
foil. That’s not what happened.
Gold Foil Experiment Results
most alpha particles go straight through the gold
foil
A few alpha particles are sharply deflected
 Rutherford’s Conclusion
► The atom is mostly
empty space.
► There is a small,
dense center with a
positive charge.
► Rutherford discovered
the nucleus in atoms
 Rutherford’s Contribution to the
Atomic Theory
► The atom is mostly
empty space.
► The nucleus is a
small, dense core with
a positive charge.
Gold Foil
Rutherford’s Atomic Model
 Structure of the Atom
► Atom – smallest particle of an element that can
exist alone
 Two regions of an atom
►Nucleus
 Center of atom
 Protons and neutrons
►Electron “cloud”
 Area surrounding nucleus
containing electrons
 Structure of the Atom
► Proton – Positive charge (+), 1 atomic mass unit (amu);
found in the nucleus
 amu -Approximate mass of a proton or a neutron
► Neutron – Neutral charge (0), 1 amu; found in the
nucleus
► Electron – Negative charge (-), mass is VERY small
 Counting Atoms
► Atomic Number
 Number of protons in nucleus
 The number of protons determines identity
of the element!!

► Mass Number (Atomic Mass)

 Number of protons + neutrons
 Units are g/mol
 Counting Atoms
► Isotopes
 Atoms of the same element with varying number of
neutrons
 Different isotopes have different mass numbers because
the number of neutrons is different
 Elements with have the same number of protons but
different numbers of neutrons
 Counting Atoms
 Nuclear Symbol Notation
 Atoms
► Protons have a positive (+) charge and electrons
have a negative (-) charge

► In a neutral atom, the number of protons equals

the number of electrons, so the overall charge is
zero (0)

 Example/ Helium, with an atomic number of 2, has 2

protons and 2 electrons when stable
 Ions
► In a neutral atom
 Atomic number = # of protons = #of electrons

► Sometimes atoms will gain or lose electrons and

form IONS
► Because an electron has a negative charge:
 When an atom GAINS electrons it becomes NEGATIVE
 When an atom LOSES electrons it becomes POSITIVE
 Ions

Cation = a positive ion

Anion = a negative ion

 Let’s Practice
► Aluminum (Al) (no periodic table)
 Protons = 13
 Electrons =
 Neutrons = 14
 Atomic Number =
 Atomic Mass =
 Let’s Practice w/ nuclear symbol
notation
► NuclearSymbol notation
(no periodic table)
 Protons =

Ag
 Electrons = 108
 Neutrons =
47
 Atomic Number =
 Atomic Mass =
End of presentation