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History of the Atomic Model Webquest
Excerpted from Carabell's Chemistry Webquest:
“The atom is one of science’s greatest achievements. The idea, born in the mind of a Greek man many years
before the birth of Christ, now dominates the science and technology that surrounds us. With this idea scientists
can explain nearly all the phenomena of nature. With this idea technicians have developed TV, radio, computers;
they’ve probed the human body and mind, and the farthest reaches of outer space. On this IDEA we trust our
lives.
From a simple beginning the idea has grown, contorted, rebelled, exploded, lay dormant, baffled and confused,
surprised and enlightened. The idea has been down many roads, some rough, some smooth, some of them dead
ends. The trek along the road lays open to all of us and now to you. Not so that you may join the masses that
know what the IDEA is, but so you may join the faithful who know why it is, how it came to be. The power comes
from understanding the idea, knowing its strengths and weaknesses, and how it can be used. Satisfaction comes
from mastering the most sophisticated idea in all of nature. The joy and misery come from the mysteries that lie
within, the idea, the atom.” (Author Unknown)
Instructions: Below you will find the names of several individuals and groups of people that helped advance the
model of the atom.
1. Your job is to describe the model developed at each stage, and to answer any specific questions
included. Use the information that you can find in research books and magazines, and at the websites
listed to complete this task. These websites are not your only options but are a start. See the last page for
additional sites that would be acceptable for a bibliography.
2. Once you have answered each of the questions, you need to design and turn in (along with your filled out
set of questions and a bibliography of all resources used, cited correctly- can be a separate paper)
a. a pamphlet with Publisher or a word processing program
b. or a magazine advertisement with Publisher or a word processing program
c. or an infomercial with PowerPoint or a short 30sec to 1min You Tube video
Your goal, with the product, is to sell two of the five models of the atom to a consumer.
The product is due Tuesday, February 18th.
Background The first documented model of the atom came from the Greeks.
Aristotle was a leading philosopher of the time and did not believe in the atomic theory proposed by Democritus.
Describe the main points of both men's theories. Why do you suppose that Democritus's ideas were not taken
seriously for another 2000 years?
Democritus
http://www.funsci.com/fun3_en/democritus/democritus.htm
http://www.thebigview.com/greeks/democritus.html
Who was Democritus's
teacher that influenced his
development of the atom
concept?
List the main points to
Democritus' theory of atoms:
Aristotle
http://www.webwinds.com/thalassa/elemental.htm
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Aristotle.html
Describe how Aristotle's ideas were
different from Democritus'ideas and
what he thought everything was
made of (describe his "elements")
Model 1 Robert Boyle next reintroduced the idea of the atom to the scientific world and finally displaced the ideas
promoted by Aristotle.
Robert Boyle
http://www.thoemmes.com/dictionaries/boyle.htm
http://www.crystalinks.com/boyle.html
What did Robert Boyle call the
groups
of atoms that he studied?
What did he believe about
atoms?
Describe his ideas.
John Dalton developed the first comprehensive Atomic Theory.
John Dalton
http://webserver.lemoyne.edu/faculty/giunta/dalton.html
http://dl.clackamas.cc.or.us/ch104-04/dalton's.htm
Who was the scientist that
helped
prepare the way for Dalton's
work by
developing the Law of
Constant
(Definite) Composition.
Describe what atoms looked
like to Dalton.
State the points of his theory, and note whether or not each point is still believed to be valid today.
Model 2 The first subatomic particle to be discovered was credited to JJ Thomson.
J.J. Thomson
http://www.aip.org/history/electron/jjhome.htm
http://www.chemheritage.org/EducationalServices/chemach/ans/jjt.html
http://www.fordhamprep.com/gcurran/sho/sho/lessons/lesson32.htm
Which particle did he find, how
did
he find it, and what did his
model of
the atom look like?
What was Thomson's 1904
model
called?
Model 3 Ernest Rutherford played an enormous role in the development of modern chemistry and
physics. His most famous work, however, was an experiment called the Gold Foil Experiment.
Ernest Rutherford
http://www.howstuffworks.com/atom6.htm
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/electromag/java/rutherford/
How did this experiment
enlighten our
understanding of the atom?
Describe
the experiment and the new
model
thoroughly.
What was the fatal flaw in this
1911
model?
Model 4 Next came the discovery of the neutron and the proton.
Learn about them at;
http://www.dpgraph.com/janine/twins.html
http://www.chemcases.com/nuclear/nc-01.htm
Who first postulated the
existence of
and named the proton?
Who discovered the neutron?
Where are these particles located, and what are their charges?
At last we arrive at the development of the model that you are most familiar with - the Bohr Model
of the atom. Bohr was a student of Rutherford and continued his work on the atom. Spend a little
time with this - it's important information despite the fact that his model has been modified.
Neils Bohr
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bpbohr.html
http://www.upscale.utoronto.ca/GeneralInterest/Harrison/BohrModel/BohrModel.html
Describe his model, as well as the
evidence
for and against this model.
How did Neils Bohr overcome the
problem
with the Rutherford Model of the
Atom?
What other 'data' did Bohr use in order to formulate his
hypothesis?
You will notice that the photon of light is emitted when
electrons 'jump' from one energy level to another.
Write the formula
(http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Pl
anck.html) in the space provided that relates
the Energy of the emitted Photon and the
various Energy Levels.
Model 5 Though Bohr considered his model a "quantized" atom, it failed to explain all of the energy level changes
exhibited by atoms. The current Quantum Mechanical Model of the atom was developed by Schroedinger, who
built upon the work of Heisenberg and de Broglie.
Resource
http://www.howstuffworks.com/atom8.htm
Louis De Broglie
DeBroglie described an electron as
having properties of both a
_____________ and a
_____________.
Werner Heisenberg
Heisenberg said: (State his principle)
Erwin Schrodinger
Describe, as best you can,
Schrodinger's model of the atom
Useful URL’s
Timeline (View the proper sequence of the evolution of the model of the atom.)
http://atomictimeline.net/index.php
Here is an overview of the development of the modern model of the atom
http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/quantumzone/lines2.html
JJ Thomson’s Model
http://atomic-molecular-optical-physics.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_discovery_of_the_electron
http://www.atomicarchive.com/Bios/Thomson.shtml
http://www.chemheritage.org/classroom/chemach/atomic/thomson.html
http://www.chemteam.info/AtomicStructure/Thomson-Model-Intro.html
Rutherford’s Model
Follow the instructions while viewing this simulation of Rutherford’s experiment.
http://www.mhhe.com/physsci/chemistry/essentialchemistry/flash/ruther14.swf
Here is another simulation that illustrates the Gold Foil experiment.
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/electromag/java/rutherford/
Which atomic model is used to illustrate the experiment ?
Why is this atomic model used instead of the Thompson’s (previous model)?
More information on Rutherford’s Model
http://www.rsc.org/chemsoc/timeline//pages/1911.html
Bohr’s Model
http://science.sbcc.edu/physics/solar/sciencesegment/bohratom.swf
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dp13at.html
http://chemistry.about.com/od/atomicstructure/a/bohr-model.htm
What were the limitations of Rutherford’s atomic model that prompted Bohr to propose additional features?
Contributors
Robert Millikan
http://www.juliantrubin.com/bigten/millikanoildrop.html
View this video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2799052432147926032&ei=XLEtSf9HYyQqAKxqbjHBQ&q=millikan+oil+drop+experiment+video&client=safari
Henry Mosley
http://www.chemteam.info/AtomicStructure/AtNum-AtWtThread.html
http://www.mikeblaber.org/oldwine/chm1045/notes/Periodic/Develop/Period01.htm
http://www.barringtonhighschool.org/Chemistry_Web/Chem history/Mosely/moseley.htm
http://www.chemteam.info/AtomicStructure/AtNum-Moseley.html
http://www.tutorvista.com/content/physics/physics-iv/atoms-and-nuclei/moseleys-law.php
http://www.sooperarticles.com/technology-articles/moseleys-discovery-modern-concept-atomic-number327.html
James Chadwick
http://atomic-molecular-optical-physics.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_discovery_of_the_neutron
http://www.thocp.net/biographies/chadwick_james.htm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dp32ne.html
http://www.vias.org/physics/bk2_05_05.html
http://www-outreach.phy.cam.ac.uk/camphy/neutron/neutron1_1.htm
Interesting related sites:
http://www.aip.org/history/electron/jjhome.htm
http://www.visionlearning.com/library/module_viewer.php?mid=50
http://www.aip.org/history/electron/jjelectr.htm
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/l/leucippu.htm