DISCOVERY OF PROTONS,

ELECTRONS AND NEUTRONS

PROTON
 “
A proton is a subatomic
particle found in the nucleus of
every atom. The particle has a
positive electrical charge.
ELECTRON
 “
Electrons are the smallest of
the particles that make up an
atom, and they carry a
negative charge.
NEUTRON
 “
A neutron is a subatomic
particle found in the nucleus of
atoms and have no charge.
JOHN JOSEPH“J.J.” THOMSON

• 19th Century
• Cathode Ray Tubes
• “corpuscles”
• Discovered electron
CATHODE RAY
 PROPERTIES

1. They travel in straight lines.

2. They are independent of the material composition
of the cathode.
3. Applying electric field in the path of cathode ray
deflects the ray towards positively charged plate.
Hence cathode ray consists of negatively charged
particles.
ERNEST RUTHERFORD

• Gold foil experiment

• Discovered proton
• Physicist from New Zealand
• Father of nuclear physics
GOLD FOIL EXPERIMENT
◍ Most of the atom’s mass and its entire positive charge are confined
in a small core, called nucleus. The positively charged particle is
called proton.
◍ Most of the volume of an atom is empty space.
◍ The number of negatively charged electrons dispersed outside the
nucleus is same as number of positively charge in the nucleus. It
explains the overall electrical neutrality of an atom.
JAMES CHADWICK

◍ bombarded the element Beryllium

with a-particles
◍ Discovered neutrons
◍ English physicist
◍ Most of elements doubled the
number of protons
◍ The radiation was highly penetrating.
◍ The radiation was unaffected by magnetic and electric
fields which show that it is electrically neutral.
◍ It was found to have approximately the same mass as
the protons.