The Plum Pudding Model of the Atom

The plum pudding atom.

Early scientists used atomic weights as a unit to compare elements. Since hydrogen had the lowest
atomic weight,
- William Prout who studied atomic weight of other elements suggested that all other elements were
made of different number of hydrogen atoms since atomic weights of other elements appeared to be
multiples of the atomic weight of hydrogen.
- J.J Thomson thought that an atom had an internal structure.
- Thomson used an apparatus called cathode ray tube to investigate the conduction of electricity by
gases.
- cathode ray tube produces rays when it is connected into an electric circuit.
- The rays were produced by the material from which the cathode was made.
- Thomson investigated the rays and discovered that they were made of tiny particles which had a
mass over a thousand times smaller than a hydrogen atom.
- Thomson called the tiny particles corpuscles.
- !eorge Stoney named the tiny particles electrons.
- When Thomson used different materials for the cathode, he noticed that the electrons they
produced were the same.
- Thomson studied properties of electrons and discovered that they were negatively charged
- Thomson proposed that an atom contain electrons.
- Thomson did not notice any positive charges in his e"periment but suggested that an atom also
contained positive charges because an atom is electrically neutral #$% & % ' ()
- *n %+(,, Thomson proposed a model for the atom called the plum pudding model
- Thomson then described an atom li-e a plum pudding with negatively charged electrons being
surrounded by a positive charge pudding.

Summary:
- Thomson thought that an atom had a structure and investigated the conduction of
electricity by gases using cathode ray tube.
- .onnecting the tube to an electric circuit produced rays with tiny particles in them that
Thompson called corpuscles. !eorge Stoney called the particles electrons. The tiny
particles which Thomson noticed to be negative charged were found to have a mass over
a thousand times smaller than the mass of a hydrogen atom.
- Thomson had a creative thin-ing that an atom contains positive charges because an atom
is electrically neutral and must contain opposite charges that balanced the negative
charges.
- *n %+(,, Thomson proposed a model for the atom called the plum pudding model
- Thomson then described an atom li-e a plum pudding with negatively charged electrons
being surrounded by a positive charge pudding.

Plenery
- What name is given to the apparatus that Thomson used in investigating conduction of
electricity by gases/
- What name did Thomson give to the rays that were produced in his apparatus for
investigating conduction of electricity by gases/
- What were the rays made up of/
Assignment:
1. ccording to Thomson0s proposal that an atom contains electrons, is 1alton0s first statement that all matter
is composed tiny indivisible particles called atoms correct/ E"plain.
2. What creative thin-ing did Thomson have after his discovery of the electron/ E"plain
3. 1raw a diagram of the plum pudding model of the atom.