Atomic Structure and Periodic Table — Key Discoveries

Key Discoveries

Dalton's Atomic Theory

1808

John Dalton proposed the first comprehensive atomic theory, postulating that matter is composed of indivisible atoms, atoms of the same element are identical, and atoms combine in…

Rutherford's Gold Foil Experiment (Discovery of the Nucleus)

1911

Ernest Rutherford's alpha-particle scattering experiment revolutionized the understanding of atomic structure. By observing that most alpha particles passed straight through a…

Bohr's Model of the Hydrogen Atom

1913

Niels Bohr proposed a quantum model for the hydrogen atom, successfully explaining its stability and discrete line spectra. He postulated that electrons exist in specific,…

Moseley's X-ray Spectra and Atomic Number

1913

Henry Moseley's systematic study of X-ray spectra of elements revealed a direct relationship between the frequency of emitted X-rays and the atomic number (number of protons) of…

Schrödinger Equation and Quantum Mechanical Model

1926

Erwin Schrödinger developed a mathematical equation that describes the wave-like behavior of electrons in atoms. The solutions to this equation are wave functions (ψ), which, when…