Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.
At the end of the 19th century, disputes continued about the parts of which atoms consisted. Scientific minds have tried to determine whether atoms are the smallest material particle or if there are even smaller elements. An English physicist, J. J. Thomson, was an academic who made one of the scientific revolutions in the history of atomic chemistry. His contribution to the scientific field will be explored in this paper.
Thomson’s innovation was the discovery made using a cathode ray tube. Two electric jets were put in an empty, airless glass tube, and an electric voltage passed between them. As a result of the magnetic field, a beam, later called the cathode beam, occurred (Flowers et al., 2019). By calculating the amount of deflection in relation to the strength of the magnetic field, Thomson discovered that there were elements lighter than atoms.
These smaller elements were given the name “electron,” which represents the subatomic component of the structure of the atom. Thompson identified in his experiments that the elements in the cathode beam responded to positive and negative charges, which allowed for establishing the presence of particles with a negative charge inside an atom (Flowers et al., 2019). His idea was initially received with distrust and caused controversy. Nonetheless, Thomson’s theory was recognized and appreciated later, making him one of the most influential and revolutionizing scientists in the field of chemistry. Eventually, other scientists, including Robert Millican and American physicist, experimented with electrons in later years, further proving and expanding Thomson’s findings (Flowers et al., 2019). Thus, despite initially restrained and controversial reactions, Thomson’s discovery paved the way in the history of atomic chemistry and physics, opening perspectives for breakthrough experiments.
Reference
Flowers, P., Neth, E. J., Langley, R. H., Robinson, W. R., Theopold, R. (2019). Chemistry: atoms first (2nd ed.). OpenStax.
Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.