Soon you will be a rocket scientist Atomic Theory Soon you will be a rocket scientist
Atoms Atoms are composed of subatomic particles including: Protons Neutrons Electrons
Nucleus Contains protons (+) and neutrons
PROTONS The number of protons is equal to the atomic number (found on the periodic table) Example: The atomic number of oxygen is 8, therefore it has 8 protons THE NUMBER OF PROTONS CAN NEVER CHANGE EVER!
Neutrons Neutrons are heavy and add mass to the nucleus. Usually the number of neutrons is close to the number of protons The number of neutrons can change, this can change the element a bit For example, Carbon-12 has different number of neutrons than Carbon-14
Electrons Electrons (-) surround the nucleus in specific energy levels An equal number of protons and electrons means that the atom is NEUTRAL
Atomic Number The number of PROTONS an atom has is its atomic number. Oxygen has 8 protons in its nucleus. What is its atomic number? 8!
Who Developed Atomic Theory? -early scientists wanted to turn metals such as lead into gold!
John Dalton In the early 1800’s, he started to look at the earth’s atmosphere He looked at oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxide He proposed that the tiniest particles were atoms, and these were different in different elements
Dalton’s Atomic Theory 1. All matter is made of small particles called atoms 2. Atoms cannot be created, destroyed, or divided into smaller pieces 3. All atoms of the same element are identical in mass and size 4. Compounds are created when atoms of different elements link together
J. J. Thomson He studied electric currents and discovered that currents were streams of negatively charged particles He reasoned that all atoms must contain these negative particles No one believed that there were smaller particles than an atom!
Ernest Rutherford He discovered the nucleus-the tiny, dense, POSITIVELY charged centre of the atom He also proposed that there were two kinds of particles inside the nucleus, protons and neutrons
Neils Bohr In the early 1900’s, he studied the electrons surrounding the nucleus He proposed that electrons surround the nucleus in specific energy “levels”. This meant that each electron has a specific amount of energy.
Subatomic Particles NAME Symbol Relative Mass Electric Charge Location in the Atom PROTON p 1836 + Nucleus NEUTRON n 1837 ELECTRON e 1 - Surrounding
Final Notes Remember that the nucleus is always positive! The number of protons in the nucleus is the atomic number Electrons take up most of the volume of an atom, even though they weigh the least!