Atoms

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Key Ideas
Who came up with the first theory of atoms?
What did Dalton add to the atomic theory?
How did Thomson discover the electron?
What is Rutherfords atomic model?

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Bellringer
When scientists wanted to find out what an atom was, they
were not able to look directly at what the atom was made
of. They had to make inferences from the results of many
different experiments. It was like trying to describe a
picture, such as the one on the next slide, with only small
portions visible.

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1. Write a description what you can see of the above

picture.
2. What information or parts of the picture would make
your descriptions more accurate without revealing
the entire picture?

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The Beginnings of Atomic Theory

Who came up with the first theory of atoms?
In the fourth century BCE, the Greek philosopher
Democritus suggested that the universe was
made of indivisible units called atoms.
Democritus did not have evidence for
his atomic theory.

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Daltons Atomic Theory

What did Dalton add to the atomic theory?
According to Dalton, all atoms of a given
element were exactly alike, and atoms of
different elements could join to form compounds.

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Daltons Atomic Theory, continued

Dalton used experimental evidence.
Law of definite proportions: A chemical compound always
contains the same elements in exactly the same proportions by
weight or mass.

Daltons theory did not fit all observations.

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Thomsons Model of the Atom

How did Thomson discover the electron?
Thomsons cathode-ray tube experiment
suggested that cathode rays were made of
negatively charged particles that came from
inside atoms.

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Visual Concept: Thomsons Cathode-Ray

Tube Experiment

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Thomsons Model of the Atom, continued

Thomson developed the plum-pudding model.
In his cathode-ray tube experiment, Thomson had
discovered electrons.
electron: a subatomic particle that has a negative
charge
Thomsons plum-pudding model: electrons are spread
throughout the atom, like blueberries in a muffin

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Thomsons Plum Pudding Model

Thomson believed the electrons in an atom are randomly
scattered within a positive cloud. No Nucleus in this
model.

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Rutherfords Model of the Atom

What is Rutherfords atomic model?
Rutherford proposed that most of the mass of
the atom was concentrated at the atoms center.

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Rutherfords Model of the Atom,

continued

Rutherford conducted the gold-foil experiment.

Rutherford discovered the
nucleus.
nucleus: an atoms central
region, which is made up of
protons and neutrons

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Visual Concept: Rutherfords Gold Foil

Experiment

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