The structure of the atom

As biologist multiply search on the building block of all living matter, chemists also increase the
search for the building block of all matter (both living and non-living). At the level of the biologist,
the building of living matter is the cell. To the chemist, the building block of all matter is the atom.
Although science may be studied as three separate subjects (biology, chemistry and physics), skills
of scientific enquiries are common to them all.
Discovering the structure of the atom
(a) Ideas of philosophers on what everything is made up of
Table 1
Philosopher Period or year Idea Reason
Thales 624 546 BC World formed from water
He lived around the coast of the
Mediterranean and water was alwas
in view
!na"imenes 5#5 52# BC $verthin% made from air !ir surrounds everthin%
&emocritus 46' ()' BC
$verthin% made from
atom*
Continuous cuttin% of matter %ets to a
+oint where matter becomes atomos*
!tomos means indivisible in ,ree-*
!ristotle (#4 (22 BC
$verthin% made from
water. air. fire and land
Water. air. fire and land were common
thin%s that he could see or feel*
Exercise/
1. Wh are the sub0ects/ biolo%. chemistr and +hsics collectivel called science1
2. What would ou tell +eo+le the world is made u+ of if ou were a +hiloso+her livin% onl in this classroom1
3. What is the ori%in of the word atom1
(b) Investigations on chemical reactions
Table 2
Scientist Period or
year
Investigation
(experiment)
Oservation !a" arrived at
!ntoine
2avoisier
1)4( 1)34
4 5tudied chan%es that
too- +lace and when two
chemicals reacted to form
new com+ounds
4 Wei%hed chemicals
before reactin% wei%hed
com+ound formed
Mass of chemicals
before reaction e6ual
to mass of com+ound
formed
2aw of conservation of
mass which states that
7matter is neither
created nor destroyed
during a chemical
reaction8
9ose+h :roust 1)54 1#26
4 Wei%hed chemicals
carefull in his
e"+eriment and
discovered when a
com+ound is bro-en u+
into its elements and
wei%hed. the elements
alwas combine in the
same +ro+ortions
5ubstances made
from different
+ro+ortion of
elements* The
+ro+ortion for a
+articular substance
was the same and
did no de+end on the
6uantit of elements
used to +roduce the
substance
2aw of definite
+ro+ortions which
states that 7the
elements in a
compound are always
present in a certain
definite proportion no
matter how the
compound is made8
S#mmary$
atter
!iving atter
(Taken care of by biology)
"on-living atter
(Taken care of by chemistry)
4 Matter is divided into livin% and non4livin% matter* Biolo% ta-es care of livin% matter while
chemistr ta-es care of non4livin% matter*
4 :hiloso+hers used what the could see around to draw a conclusion on what the world is
made u+ of*
4 2avoisier and :roust devised e"+eriments that enable them to establish laws such 7law of
conservation of mass8 and 7law of definite +ro+ortions8 res+ectivel*
Plenery
4 What did ou learn about matter1
4 What did ou learn about discoverin% atomic structure1
4 What did ou learn about investi%atin% chemical reactions1
%ssignment$
1. What would ou tell +eo+le that the world is made u+ of if ou were a +hiloso+her livin%
;a< in a forest* $"+lain our answer
(b) on the side of the mountain1 $"+lain our answer
2. =rom table 1 above. wh do ou thin- that Thales should be called the father of science1