Atomic Structure

Learning Objectives
At the end of discussion, you should be able to:

1. Name and describe the subatomic particles;

2. Determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in an
uncharged or neutral atom.
3. Recognize that an element is identified by the number of protons in
its nucleus;
4. Explain how ions are formed;
5. Determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in an ion;
and
6. Write the formula of common ions.
Subatomic Particles

Atom’s internal structure consisting of electrons, protons, and neutrons.

Electrons

A cathode-ray tube is a partially evacuated tube with very little air in it.

An electrode is a device that moves

electrons into or out of a solution via
conduction.

Anode – positive electrode terminal

Cathode – negative electrode terminal

Joseph John Thomson

English physicist, investigated the nature of cathode rays and measured the
ratio of the particle’s charge to its mass (C/g), where C stands for coulomb, an SI
unit of electric charge, and g stands for gram,

The calculated value of C/g for one charged

particle is −1.76 × 108. These charged particles
were later named electrons.
Plum Pudding Model

In this model, the electrons are dispersed throughout the atom like plums in a
pudding. The sphere is positively charged and the electrons are negatively charged,
resulting in a neutrally charged atom.
Oil Drop Experiment
Robert Millikan (1868–1953), an American physicist, conducted experiments to
determine the charge of electrons.

From the data, he found out that the charge of a

single electron is −1.60 × 10−19 C

This shows that the electron is an extremely light

particle and is about 2000 times lighter than a
hydrogen atom.
Oil Drop Experiment
Alpha-Particle Scattering Experiment

Ernest Rutherford (1871–1937; fig. 8.8), a physicist from New Zealand, and his
colleagues, British physicist Ernest Marsden (1889–1970) and German physicist
Hans Geiger (1882–1945), performed an alpha-particle scattering experiment to
determine the presence and location of the nucleus.
Alpha-Particle Scattering Experiment