Nuestra Señora De Guia Academy
MODULE IN PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Grade 12
Atoms
Week 2 / Day 2
OVERVIEW
Until the mid-1800s, scientists had believed that the atom was possibly the
smallest possible particle. Then they discovered that the atom was made of even smaller
parts. Today, scientists are aware of several subatomic particles- about a dozen- and
are on a continuous study to find even smaller bits of matter.
But how does an atom look like? This module discusses and explains how
scientists have arrived at the present electron cloud of the atom.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of this module, the student should be able to:
1. describe the ideas of the Ancient Greeks on atoms;
2. identify the main ideas in the discovery of the structure of the atom and its
subatomic particles;
3. describe the nuclear model of the atom and the location of its major
components (protons, neutrons, and electrons); and
4. identify the atomic number, atomic mass, proton, and neutron of an
element.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Atom - the basic unit of matter and the defining structure of elements
Electron – negatively charged particle
Ions- charged atoms
Isotope- Atoms that have the same atomic number but different atomic masses
Neutron- neutral charged particle
Proton – positively charged particle
DISCUSSION
The Ideas of the Ancient Greeks on the Atom
Democritus and Leucippus
Democritus of Abdera (460 - 370 B.C.) and his teacher Leucippus of Miletus (c.500
B.C.) were Greek scholars who believed that all matter is made up of very small particles
called atoms, which cannot be divided into smaller units.
Aristotle
Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, had a different view on atoms. He disregarded the
existence of atoms proposed by Leucippus and Democritus. He did not believe that matter
is a collection of atoms. Instead, he believed that everything in the universe is made up of
the four elements, air, fire, water, and earth.
He stated that believing in atoms would mean putting restriction on the gods, who
have the power to divide elements smaller than the atom.
John Dalton
In 1808, John Joseph Dalton came up with a theory that marked the beginning of
the modern era of chemistry. Dalton's concepts about matter and atoms are more detailed
than those of Democritus.
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Dalton’s Atomic Theory
1. Elements are made up of small indivisible
particles called atoms.
2. In any given pure element, the mass and other
properties of all atoms are the same. Atoms of
different elements differ in mass and other
properties.
3. Compounds are composed of atoms of more
than one element. The constituent atoms in a
given compound are present in a consistent or
constant whole number ratio.
4. In chemical reactions, atoms are neither created
nor destroyed. They simply combine, separate,
or rearrange.
The Discovery of the Structure of the Atom and
its Subatomic Particles
The Electrons in the Plum Pudding Model
• In 1897, Joseph John Thomson, a British
physicist, proposed an atomic model known as
the plum pudding model.
• His model consisted of negatively charged
particles spread evenly throughout the
positively charged material.
• The small, negatively charged particles are
called electrons.
The Proton
• The results of Ernest Rutherford's gold foil experiment in 1911 showed another view on
the structure of the atom. Rutherford used a gold foil in measuring the scattering of alpha
particles.
• He noticed that most of the alpha particles passed through the foil with little or no
deflection; a few were deflected at wide angles. The lesser number of deflected alpha
particles suggested that relatively small positively charged particles in the gold foil
repelled the positive alpha particles. Moreover, Rutherford concluded that most of the
atom is empty, which allowed most of the alpha particles to pass through the foil.
• In summary, the gold foil experiment established that the nucleus is very dense, very
small, and positively charged. Rutherford also concluded that the electrons are located
outside the nucleus.
• The positively charged particle in the nucleus is called the proton.
The Neutron
• In 1932, James Chadwick proved the presence of neutral subatomic particles, which he
named neutrons.
• In his experiment, Chadwick bombarded a thin sheet of beryllium with alpha particles that
led to the emission of a very high energy radiation that did not deflect upon passing
through a magnetic field and is thus electrically neutral.
Atomic Number and Atomic Mass
Isotopes
Atoms that have the same atomic number but different atomic masses are known as isotopes.
Ions
The loss or gain of one or more electrons leads to the formation of an atom with a net positive or
negative charge, respectively. These charged atoms are generally called ions.
• A positively charged ion is called a cation
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• A negatively charged ion is called an anion.
EVALUATION
1. Get a piece of paper. Divide it into half as many times as you can. What do
you notice? How would you relate this activity to the concept of the atoms?
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2. Look around your house. Try to think of Bohr’s discovery of energy levels.
What things can you find in your house that use the same concept proposed
by Bohr?
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3. Look at the periodic table. List down three elements with the lowest atomic
number and three with the highest atomic number. What does the low and
high atomic numbers signify?
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Complete the Table
Directions: Locate the following elements below and identify the missing item.
Round off the atomic mass to the nearest whole number
Element Atomic number Number of Number of Atomic mass
Proton Neutron
1. 100 2. 3. 4.
Hassium 5. 108 6. 7.
8. 9. 10. 151 247
REFERENCES
• Physical Science by Karen S. Santiago (Phoenix Publication)
• Physical Science for Senior High School by Olivia B. Ungson (Trinitas Publishing
Inc.)
• Quipper School: E-learning System
• [Link]
new/s8/standards/standard_ps3.html?section=study-2
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