Chemistry: Molecular Approach (4th Edition)

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0134112830
ISBN 13: 978-0-13411-283-1

Chapter 2 - Exercises - Page 77: 10

Answer

Ernest Rutherford in 1909 performed a gold foil experiment in which he directed the fast moving alpha particles on a thin sheet of a gold foil. He found that most of the particles pass straight through the foil, a small fraction were deflected and very few were bounced backward. From these observations he deduced a model of an atom. According to Rutherford model of an atom, most of the part of an atom is empty—it has a positively charged dense core, which is called nucleus, and the nucleus is surrounded by orbiting electrons. Whereas the plum-pudding model describes that the charge was uniformly distributed within the atom. Thus, Rutherford by his gold foil experiment and model of an atom explained that the plum-pudding model was incorrect.

Work Step by Step

According to the Rutherford model of an atom, most of the part of an atom is empty—it has a positively charged dense core, which is called nucleus, and the nucleus is surrounded by orbiting electrons, whereas the plum-pudding model describes that the charge was uniformly distributed within the atom. Thus, Rutherford by his gold foil experiment and model of an atom explained that the plum-pudding model was incorrect.
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