Lesson 4.

The Subatomic Particles

and the Structure of the
Atom

General Chemistry 1
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
It is a human’s nature to always be curious about knowing
what’s inside something.

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We get excited when
we open wrapped
gifts because we are
excited to see what’s
inside.

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If an egg is
composed of
albumin and a yolk
inside, have you ever
wondered, what is
inside an atom?

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What is inside an atom?

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Learning Competency
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

Differentiate among atomic number, mass

number, and isotopes, and which of these
distinguishes one element from another
(STEM_GC11AM-Ic-e-17).

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 Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Discuss the experiments that led to the discovery

of subatomic particles.

● Describe the three subatomic particles.

● Compare and contrast the atomic models that

were developed upon the discovery of each
subatomic particle.

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The Electron

The electron is discovered using a cathode-ray tube.

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 The Electron

The cathode-ray tube has two charged plates: cathode and anode.

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Do opposite charges attract
each other?

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 Cathode Ray Experiment

Joseph John Thomson ( also known as J.J.

Thomson), an English physicist used the
cathode ray tube, and the electromagnetic
theory to determine the ratio of electric
charge to the mass of the individual
negatively charged particle
Sir J.J. Thomson

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 Cathode Ray Experiment

Some
experiments
added two
electrically
charged plates
and a magnet to
the outside of the
cathode ray tube.
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 Cathode Ray Experiment

If the magnetic field is on and the electric field is off, the

cathode ray hit point A.

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Cathode Ray Experiment

If only the electric field is on, the ray hit point C.

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 Cathode Ray Experiment

If both the magnetic and the electric fields are off or when
they cancel each other’s influence, the ray strikes point B.

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 Cathode Ray Experiment

Since the cathode ray is attracted to the positively-

charged plate and repelled by the negatively-charged
plate, it must consist of negatively-charged particles.

This negatively charged particle was called electron.

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 Cathode Ray Experiment

The mass to charge ratio obtained by Sir J.J. Thomson

was –1.76 ✕ 108 C/g, where C stands for coulomb, the
unit of the electrical charge.

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 Oil Drop Experiment

Robert Millikan was able to quantify

the charge of the electron in his oil-
drop experiment in 1906.

Robert Millikan
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 Oil Drop Experiment

In Millikan's experiment, he used a fine spray of ionized oil.

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 Oil Drop Experiment

With electromagnetic force, the droplets suspended in air.

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 Oil Drop Experiment

He was able to calculate the charge of the electron and

the mass of the electron, which are –1.6022 ✕ 10-19 C and
9.10 ✕ 10 -28 g, respectively.

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 The Plum Pudding Model

During the early 1900s, two features of atoms had

become clear.

○ Atoms contain electrons.

○ Atoms are electrically neutral.

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 The Plum Pudding Model

In order to maintain an electrical neutral atom. It must

contain an equal number of positive and negative
charges.

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The Plum Pudding Model

Plum Pudding Model 24

 The Proton and Nucleus

In 1910, a New Zealand physicist

Ernest Rutherford decided to use
alpha particles to probe the
structure of the atoms, together with
his associate Hans Geiger and an
undergraduate named Ernest
Maden.
Ernest Rutherford
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Gold Foil Experiment

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 Gold Foil Experiment

If Thomson is correct, this is how the result should be.

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 Gold Foil Experiment

They observed that the

majority of particles
penetrated the foil either
undeflected or slightly
deflected.

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 Gold Foil Experiment

Some alpha particles

were deflected at a large
angle. In some instances,
an alpha particle bounced
back in the direction of its
source.

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 Nuclear Model of an Atom

Most of an atom must be

empty space with electrons
that allow the majority of the
alpha particle to pass
through.

Nuclear Model
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 Nuclear Model of an Atom

On the center of the atom,

there is a positively charged
dense core (nucleus).

Nuclear Model
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 Nuclear Model of an Atom

The positively charged particles in the nucleus are called

protons.

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 Nuclear Model of an Atom

In separate experiments, the charge of each proton has

the same magnitude as that of electron and that the
mass of the proton is 1.67262 ✕ 10 -24 grams.

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 The Neutron

The inconsistency on the ratio of the mass hydrogen

atom to the mass of helium atoms led Rutherford and
the other scientists to speculate that there must be
another subatomic particle in the atomic nucleus.

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 The Neutron

The proof was provided by another English physicist,

James Chadwick, in 1932 on his alpha particle and
beryllium experiment.

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Alpha Particle and Beryllium Experiment

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 Alpha Particle and Beryllium Experiment

● Later experiments revealed that the rays consisted of

electrically neutral particles having a mass slightly
greater than that of protons.

● Chadwick names these particles, as neutrons.

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Remember

An atom has an electron, proton, and

neutron. Protons and neutrons are
packed in an extremely small nucleus
and carries the bulk of the mass of an
atom, while the electrons occupy the
space around the nucleus providing
volume to the atom.

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 Advanced Atomic Models

Neils Bohr proposed that the electrons move in orbits

around the nucleus.

Planetary Model of an Atom

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 Other Atomic Models

Erwin Schrödinger proposed

that electrons do not move in a
set of paths around the nucleus,
but in waves.

Electron Cloud Model

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 Other Atomic Models

Thus, it is impossible to locate the

electrons. Instead, he proposed a
“cloud of probability” of the
electron.

Electron Cloud Model

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 Check Your Understanding

Identify the following based on the clues given.

1. It is the negatively charged particle in the atom.

2. It is the positively charged core of the atom.
3. He discovered the presence of an electrically neutral
particle inside an atom.
4. This experiment led to the discovery of a negatively
charged particle inside an atom.
5. It is the neutral particle in an atom.
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 Check Your Understanding

Using the graphic organizer below, summarize the

evolution of atomic models by illustrating and
describing the five models of an atom.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● The three subatomic particles of an atom are

electron, proton, and neutron.

● The electron was discovered by J.J. Thomson

using a cathode ray experiment, while Robert
Millikan calculated the charge and mass of the
electron through his oil-drop experiment.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● The nucleus and proton was discovered by Ernest

Rutherford and his associates through the gold
foil experiment.

● The neutron was discovered by James Chadwick

through his alpha particle and beryllium
experiment.

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 Let’s Sum It Up!

The table below summarizes the properties of the

subatomic particles.

Charge
Particle Mass (in grams)
Coulomb Charge Unit

electron - 1.6022 x 10-19 -1 9.10938 x 10-28

proton + 1.6022 x 10-19 +1 1.67262 x 10-24

neutron 0 0 1.67493 x 10-24

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Challenge Yourself

According to Rutherford's nuclear

model, protons reside on the core of an
atom and are surrounded by electrons.
Even though electrons and protons are
opposite charges, they do not attract
each other inside an atom. What atomic
model can best explain this
phenomenon? Explain.
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Bibliography

Chang, Raymond, and Kenneth A. Goldsby. General Chemistry: The Essential Concepts. New York:
McGraw-Hill, 2014.

Handwerker, Mark J. Science Essentials. San Francisco, CA.: Jossey-Bass, 2005.

Hawe, Alan, Dan Davies, Kendra McMahon, Lee Towler, Chris Collier, and Tonie Scott. Science 5–11: A
Guide for Teachers. 2nd ed. New York, NY: David Fulton Publishers, 2009.

Petrucci, Ralph H. General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications. Toronto, Ont.: Pearson
Canada, 2011.

Silberberg, Martin S. Principles of General Chemistry. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013.

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