Chemistry › Section B · Atoms, molecules, and ions › Topic B.1
Early and modern atomic theory
Nobody has ever needed to see an atom to know a great deal about it. Careful weighing, glowing tubes and a beam fired at gold foil let chemists build, test and rebuild a picture of the atom, and every step shows how evidence beats a good guess.
In this topic
- An old idea waiting for evidence
- Dalton's atomic theory
- Three laws the theory explains
- Worked example: testing the mass laws
- Thomson finds the electron
- Millikan measures the charge
- Worked example: finding the charge quantum
- Rutherford's gold foil
- Protons, isotopes and neutrons
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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