The Evolution of the Idea about Atom and Elements

Chunk 1: Democritus’ and Dalton’s Atomic Theory

Leucippus was a Greek natural philosopher who first proposed the idea of an atom. He believed that
all things are made up of tiny, indivisible particles.
Democritus was a student of Leucippus, posited that all matter was composed of small indestructible
particles, which he called atoms , from the Greek word atomos , which means ―indivisible‖.
Aristotle opposed the atomists idea because he believed that all things can be divided infinitely. He
also claimed that all matter consisted of four elements—earth, fire, water, and air.

Alchemy is a medieval practice which aims to transform a metal into gold.

John Dalton revived the idea of atomic theory and based his theory to Antoine
Lavoisier’s law of conservation of mass and Joseph Proust’s law of definite
proportion.

Law of Conservation of Mass Law of Definite Proportions

The total masses of substances before and after a Elements combine in a fixed proportion to form a
complete reaction are equal. compound.

The following are the major postulates of Dalton’s atomic theory:

1. Matter is composed of small indivisible particles called atoms.
2. Atoms of the same element are identical.
3. Compounds contain atoms of more than one element.
4. In a compound, atoms of different elements always combine in the same way.

Chunk 2: The Discovery of Protons, Electrons, and Neutrons

Matter is composed of indivisible particles called atoms. And each atom is made up of protons,
electrons, and neutrons. These subatomic particles have their own space in an atom.

Timeline of the development of the

Atomic Structure:
1. J.J. Thomson discovered that an atom
is also composed of negatively charged
particles which he named electrons. He
used the Cathode Ray Experiment (CRT)
a glass tube with two electrodes: the
positive electrode (anode) and the
negative electrode cathode).
 Thomson took a tube made of glass containing two pieces of
metal plate as an electrode. The air inside the chamber was
subjected to high voltage and electricity flowing through the
air from the negative electrode to the positive electrode. He
observed a particle stream (ray) coming out of the negatively
charged electrode (cathode) to the positively charged
electrode (anode). After completing the experiment,
Thomson concluded that rays were and are basically
negatively charged particles present or moving around in a
set of a positive charge.

The Plum Pudding Model of Atom by JJ Thomson

2. Ernest Rutherford coined the term PROTON for the positively charged particle in an
atom and discovered the nucleus of an atom, with his gold foil experiment or the alpha
scattering experiment.

Conclusions from the Experiment:

a. alpha particles passed through the gold foil without any deflection concluding the
empty space inside the atom.
b. deflection is observed in a few particles which proves the positive charge of the
atom occupies very little space.
c. deflection in a very small fraction of alpha particles indicates that all the positive
charge and mass of the gold atom were concentrated in a very small volume within
the atom.
3. James Chadwick was the one who discovered the neutron. He performed the beryllium bombardment experiments
himself and interpreted that radiation as being composed of particles of mass approximately equal to that of the proton
but without electrical charge.

Chunk 3: The Modern Periodic Table

Dmitri Mendeleev is the father of Modern Periodic Table.

Based on Henry Moseley’s findings, elements are arranged based on increasing atomic number in
the modern periodic table.
The number of protons determines the atomic number (Z) of an element. Generally, the number of
protons is equivalent to the number of electrons, except in ion formation, where an atom may donate
or accept an electron. Thus, the difference in the number of protons and electrons determines the
charge of an atom.

Examples: 8 protons - 6 electrons= +2

10 protons – 12 electrons= –2
6 protons – 6 electrons = 0

The mass number (A) is determined by adding the number of protons and neutrons in an atom.
Because the atomic number corresponds to the number of protons, the number of neutrons can be
determined using the following formula:
mass number (A) – atomic number (Z) = number of neutrons
Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________

Activity 1: Compare and Contrast

Direction: Using the Venn diagram below, compare and contrast the idea of atomic model between
Rutherford and Bohr.

Rutherford Bohr

Activity 2: Fill Me In

Direction: In a 1 whole sheet of paper, copy and answer the table below. Then, fill in the missing numbers or symbols of
an element.
Activity 3: Essay Writing

Direction: In a short bondpaper, write an essay of what you have learned from the lesson. Include also the importance
of the discoveries made by the different scientists to our understanding about atoms and elements.