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Chapter 2: Problem 23

The contributions of J. J. Thomson and Ernest Rutherford led the way to today’s understanding of the structure of the atom. What were their contributions?

Short Answer

Expert verified
J.J. Thomson's key contribution was the discovery of electrons through his experiments with cathode rays in 1897, leading to the development of the Plum Pudding model of the atom. Ernest Rutherford's key contribution was the discovery of the nucleus through his gold foil experiment in 1911, which led to the nuclear model of the atom. Their discoveries laid the foundation for our modern understanding of atomic structure.

Step by step solution

01

J.J. Thomson's Key Contribution

J.J. Thomson is best known for his discovery of the electron in 1897. Through his experiments involving cathode rays, he concluded that these rays were made up of negatively charged particles (later named electrons) which were much smaller than atoms. This finding led to the development of the Plum Pudding model of the atom, where he believed electrons were scattered randomly within a positively charged sphere.
02

Ernest Rutherford's Key Contribution

Ernest Rutherford's main contribution was the discovery of the nucleus through his gold foil experiment in 1911. He bombarded gold foil with alpha particles and observed that most particles passed straight through the foil, while some were deflected at large angles. This led him to propose the nuclear model of the atom, where most of the atom's mass and positive charge are concentrated in a small, dense core called the nucleus, and electrons orbit around it. By considering these important contributions from J.J. Thomson and Ernest Rutherford, we can appreciate their pivotal roles in shaping our understanding of the atomic structure today.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

A sample of chloroform is found to contain 12.0 g of carbon, 106.4 g of chlorine, and 1.01 g of hydrogen. If a second sample of chloroform is found to contain 30.0 g of carbon, what is the total mass of chloroform in the second sample?

Name each of the following compounds: a. \(\mathrm{CsF}\) b. b. \(\mathrm{Li}_{3} \mathrm{N}\) c. \(\mathrm{Ag}_{2} \mathrm{S}\) d. \(\mathrm{MnO}_{2}\) e. \(\mathrm{TiO}_{2}\) f. \(\mathrm{Sr}_{3} \mathrm{P}_{2}\)

Indium oxide contains 4.784 \(\mathrm{g}\) of indium for every 1.000 \(\mathrm{g}\) of oxygen. In \(1869,\) when Mendeleev first presented his version of the periodic table, he proposed the formula $\operatorname{In}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}$ for indium oxide. Before that time it was thought that the formula was InO. What values for the atomic mass of indium are obtained using these two formulas? Assume that oxygen has an atomic mass of 16.00 .

If the volume of a proton were similar to the volume of an electron, how will the densities of these two particles compare to each other?

Dalton assumed that all atoms of the same element were identical in all their properties. Explain why this assumption is not valid.
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