An atom
An atom is defined as the smallest part of an element with the element’s qualities. All matter is made of atoms. Matter, whether in liquid, solid, gas or plasma, is composed of atoms in neutral or ionized form. These small particle serves a crucial role in chemistry as put forward by the modern atomic theory. This essay focuses on the atom and the atomic theory.
The idea that matter is made up of small particles was first theorized by John Dalton in the advent of the 1800s. Using the data he and other scientists had collected, Dalton believed that the concept of the atom explained why some gases could dissolve better in water than others. He also observed a pattern in the way elements would combine with each other.
Experiments by Ernest Rutherford led to the discovery of the nucleus. Rutherford and his colleagues carried out experiments using high speed alpha particles that were positively charged. The particles would be shot through a thin piece of gold foil, and the scattering of the alpha particles observed. Rutherford suggested the atom was made up of a nucleus that carried most of the mass as was positively charged.
Niels Bohr is recognized to have given one of the most substantial contributions to the atomic theory through his research about the structure of the atom. Bohr combined knowledge from Rutherford-who was his teacher, with Planck’s research on quanta to describe what occurs inside an atom thus describing atomic structure. The research won the scientist a Nobel Prize in 1922.
Chemistry is based on the modern atomic theory. Experiment after experiment, scientists have come to understand the atom and use this knowledge to advance in the fields of chemistry and physics. By understanding the atomic nature of different elements, scientists can combine them to give various compounds.
The discovery of the atom servers as one of the most fundamental discoveries in science. Since then scientists have gone on to identify subatomic particles, also describing the various ways in which they interact with each other. The discoveries made in advancement of the atomic theory have also contributed into the shaping of our world as we know it today.