Atomic Structure
Presented By : Syed Arham
What Is Atom
An atom is the smallest
component of an element
and the building blocks of all
matter, characterized by
sharing of the chemical
properties of the element and
a nucleus with neutrons,
protons, and electrons.
STRUCTURE OF AN ATOM
Properties of Subatomic Particles
● Protons, neutrons and electrons are
subatomic particles
Protons
● positively charged subatomic particles found in
the nucleus of an atom
● Has the mass of about 1840 times that of an
electron
● Charge = +1
Electrons
● negatively charged subatomic particle found in
space outside the nucleus
● Charge = -1
● Discovered by Thomson in 1897
Neutrons
● neutral subatomic particle that is found in the
nucleus
● Charge = 0
● Discovered by James Chadwick in 1932
● Nearly the same mass of a proton
Protons and Neutrons
● Atoms have no net electric charge
● Electric charges are carried by particles of
matter
● When a given number of positively charged
particles are combined with a given number
of negatively charged particles the result is
an electrically neutral particle
Atomic Number
● = equals the number of protons in an atom of
a particular element
● Atoms of a specific element always has same
number of protons
● If the atom is neutral, atomic number is also
equal to the number of electrons
Mass Number
● Sum of protons and neutrons in nucleus of
that atom
● Most of the mass of an atom is in the nucleus
● Number of neutrons = mass number – atomic
number
Isotopes
● Atoms of the same element that have different
number of neutrons and different mass numbers
● Element will always have same atomic number ,
but can have different mass number
● Most isotopes of same element do not act/look
different
● Ex: Oxygen – 16, Oxygen -17, and Oxygen – 18 all
can react with Hydrogen to make water or Iron to
make rust
Ancient Greek Models of Atoms
Democritus
● Said : All matter consists of small particles that can’t
be divided = atoms
● **from the latin word Atomos = indivisible**
● Said there were 3 different types of atoms
● Liquid = smooth and round
● Solid = rough and prickly
● Gas
Aristotle
● Thought all substances are built from fire, air, earth,
water
Democritus Aristotle
Dalton’s Atomic Theory
● Dalton proposed the theory that all matter is
made up of individual particles called atoms,
which cannot be divided
● The main points of his theory are:
Everything is composed of atoms, which are the
indivisible building blocks of matter and cannot be
destroyed. All atoms of an element are identical. The
atoms of different elements vary in size and mass.
Thomson’s Model of the Atom
● Electric current = flow of charged particles
● used electric current to learn about atoms
● Used device to prove info:
● Sealed glass tube (air removed)
● Metal disk at each end
● Wires connect disks to source of current
● Current turned on = 1 disk negative, other disk
positive
● Produces glowing beam = cathode ray
Evidence of Subatomic Particles
● Concluded particles in beam were negative
because they were attracted to the positive
end of a magnetic plate
● Hypothesized there was more than one
particle in atom
● Thompson’s experiments provided 1st
evidence to suggest atoms are made of
smaller particles
Thomson’s Model
● atoms are neutral so there must be a positive (+) to
cancel a negative (-)
Plum Pudding Model
● The plum pudding model = an atomic model
showing electrons “stuck” in a lump of positive
charge, similar to raisins stuck in dough
Rutherford’s Atomic Theory
● Ernest Rutherford
● (1871 – 1937)
Rutherford’s Hypothesis
● Discovered Uranium emits fast-moving particles
w/ positive charged alpha particles
● Said the mass of the gold would be too small to
change the path of the alpha particle so most
particles should travel straight through
Rutherford’s Gold-Foil Experiment
● Used relatively massive alpha particles, which are
helium atoms that have lost their two electrons,
directed in a narrow beam at a thin sheet of gold
foil
● Some of the particles passed through the foil
without deflection, while others bounce off the
foil at very large angles
Rutherford’s Gold Foil Experiment
Discovery of the Nucleus
● The deflected positive alpha particles must
have come close to a charged object but,
some still passed through
● Drew the conclusion that the positive charge
part is not evenly spread throughout the
atom, it is all concentrated at the center in the
nucleus
● Nucleus = dense, positively charged mass located
at the center of the atom
MODERN ATOMIC THEORY
The Development of Atomic Models
Rutherford’s atomic model could not explain the
chemical properties of elements.
● Proposed a model which placed electrons orbiting
the nucleus like the planets of a solar system
● Needed a model that better describes the
behavior of electrons within atoms
The Bohr Model
● Niels Bohr – (1885 – 1962) was a
Danish physicist who worked with
Rutherford. Bohr focused on
electrons
● thought Rutherford’s model needed
improvement
● Bohr proposed that an electron is
found only in specific circular paths,
or orbits around the nucleus.
Energy Levels
Energy levels= fixed energies an electron can have
● Each orbit would have a fixed energy and stay at an energy level
● Lower energies are near the bottom and as the levels increased, so did
the energy level
● Electrons move with constant speed in fixed orbits around the nucleus
like planets around a sun
Bohr’s Model of the Atom
● An electron must gain or lose energy to change orbitals, but
the orbitals are not evenly spaced
● The size of the jump between energy levels determines the amount of
energy gained or lost
● Evidence for Energy Levels
● Scientists can measure the amount of energy
when electrons absorb or release energy as they
shift energy levels.
● This is the reason different elements will give
off different colors of light
Electron Cloud Model
● Over time, Bohr’s model was improved
● We know now that electrons move in a less
predictable way
● Electron Cloud
● = visual model of the most likely locations for
electrons in an atom
● Scientists use the electron cloud model to
describe the possible locations of electrons
around the nucleus
