A Chemist's View of the Atom and Subatomic Particles

Vocabulary flashcards covering the subatomic particles, discovery and quantification of the electron, and early atomic models based on the lecture notes.

Polyethene and Polyvinyl Chloride

Chemical polymers mentioned in the context of the effects on chemical substitution.

Proton

A subatomic particle that determines the identity (element) of the atom and, together with neutrons, determines the mass.

Electron

The first subatomic particle discovered, which determines the relative electric charge of the atom.

Neutron

A subatomic particle that, together with protons, determines the mass of the atom.

Cathode Ray Tube

An apparatus used by J. J. Thomson to discover that cathode ray particles are charged and are a part of all matter.

J. J. Thomson

The scientist who used a cathode ray tube to discover the electron and proposed the plum pudding model of the atom in 1903.

Robert Millikan

The scientist who determined the charge of an electron using an apparatus featuring an atomizer, oil drops, X-rays, a microscope, and charged plates.

Millikan's Oil Drop Experiment

An experiment where an X-ray beam ionized $N_2$ and $O_2$ (losing electrons) so falling oil drops picked up electrons, allowing Millikan to adjust their fall rate by changing the voltage on a positively charged plate.

Plum Pudding Model

A subatomic model proposed by J. J. Thomson in 1903, theorizing that negatively charged electrons were distributed evenly throughout a homogeneous sphere of positive charge.