results of the gold foil experiment.

The nuclear model also explains the neu-

Topic: Atomic Structure
To learn more about the dis-
covery of atomic structure,
visit the Chemistry Web site
at chemistrymc.com
Activity: Research Ernest
Rutherford’s work. Write a
newspaper article announc-
ing his model of the atom.
tral nature of matter: the positive charge of the nucleus balancing the negative
charge of the electrons. However, the model still could not account for all of
the atom’s mass. Another 20 years would pass before this mystery was solved.
Completing the Atom—The Discovery of
Protons and Neutrons
By 1920, eight years after his revolutionary gold foil experiment, Rutherford
had refined the concept of the nucleus. He concluded that the nucleus con-
tained positively charged particles called protons. A proton is a subatomic
particle carrying a charge equal to but opposite that of an electron; that is, a
proton has a positive charge of 1+.
In 1932, Rutherford’s coworker, English physicist James Chadwick
(1891–1974), showed that the nucleus also contained another subatomic par-
ticle, a neutral particle called the neutron. A neutron has a mass nearly equal
to that of a proton, but it carries no electrical charge. Thus, three subatomic
particles are the fundamental building blocks from which all atoms are

problem-solving LAB
Interpreting STM Images
Measuring The invention of the scanning tun-
neling microscope (STM) in 1981 gave scientists
the ability to visualize individual atoms, and also
led to their being able to manipulate the posi-
tions of individual atoms. Use the information
shown in the STM images to interpret sizes and
make measurements.

Analysis
Figure A is an STM image of silicon atoms that
have been bonded together in a hexagonal pat-
tern. The image is of an area 18.1nm wide by
19.0 nm high (1 nm = 1 x 10 !9 m).
Figure B is an STM image of 48 iron atoms that Figure A
have been arranged into a circular "corral."
The corral has a diameter of 1426 nm. There is a
single electron trapped inside the "corral."

Thinking Critically
1. Using a metric ruler and the dimensions of
Figure A given above, develop a scale for mak-
ing measurements off of the image. Use your
scale to estimate the distance between adja-
cent silicon nuclei forming a hexagon.
2. What evidence is there that an electron is
trapped inside the “corral” of iron atoms
in Figure B? Estimate the distance between
adjacent iron atoms. (Hint: Use the number
of atoms and the formula
circumference " ! # diameter.)
Figure B

96 Chapter 4 The Structure of the Atom