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Key Concepts in Chemistry

The changing model of the atom

  • 2 things to know
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Overview

Dalton's solid spheres, the discovery of the electron and the plum pudding model, alpha scattering and the nucleus, the neutron and electron shells, why models change, the structure of the atom, and peer review and how scientific results are communicated.

What you need to know

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Key term

How did John Dalton describe atoms in his model?

Key term

Which discovery first showed that the idea of an indivisible atom was wrong?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    How did John Dalton describe atoms in his model?

    Model answer

    Dalton described atoms as tiny solid spheres that could not be divided or broken down.

  2. 2

    Which discovery first showed that the idea of an indivisible atom was wrong?

    Model answer

    The discovery of the electron showed that atoms contain smaller, negatively charged particles.

  3. 3

    Describe the plum pudding model of the atom.

    Model answer

    The plum pudding model pictured the atom as a ball of positive charge with electrons dotted through it.

  4. 4

    What did the scattering of alpha particles by thin metal foil reveal about the atom?

    Model answer

    It revealed a tiny, dense, positively charged nucleus with mostly empty space around it.

  5. 5

    What change was made to the model of the atom after the neutron was discovered?

    Model answer

    The nucleus was then described as containing neutrons as well as protons.

  6. 6

    Why do scientific models such as the model of the atom change over time?

    Model answer

    A model is altered or replaced when new experimental evidence cannot be explained by it.

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Key Concepts in Chemistry
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Chemical Changes
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An atom is about 0.1 nm across.
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