Questions “What is matter made of?”, “What is the nature of matter?” always occupied humanity. Since ancient times, philosophers and scientists have been looking for answers to these questions, creating both realistic and completely amazing and fantastic theories and hypotheses. However, literally a century ago, humanity came to the solution of this mystery as close as possible, revealing the atomic structure of matter. But what is the composition of the atomic nucleus? What does it all consist of?
From theory to reality
By the beginning of the twentieth century, the atomic structure ceased to be only a hypothesis, but became an absolute fact. It turned out that the composition of the nucleus of an atom is a very complex concept. It includes electric charges. But the question arose: the composition of the atom and the atomic nucleus include a different number of these charges or not?
Planetary model
Initially, it was thought that the atom was built very similar to our solar system. However, it quickly turned out that such a view was not entirely true. The problems of the purely mechanical transfer of the astronomical scale of the picture to the region, which occupies millionths of a millimeter, entailed a significant and sharp change in the properties and qualities of phenomena. The main difference was the much stricter laws and rules by which the atom was built.
Disadvantages of the planetary model
First, since atoms of the same kind and element must be completely identical in terms of parameters and properties, then the orbits of the electrons of these atoms must also be the same. However, the laws of motion of astronomical bodies could not give answers to these questions. The second contradiction is that the motion of an electron in orbit, if applied to it by well-studied physical laws, must necessarily be accompanied by a permanent release of energy. As a result, this process would lead to the depletion of the electron, which would eventually decay and even fall onto the nucleus.
Wave structure of mother and
In 1924, the young aristocrat Louis de Broglie put forward an idea that turned the scientific community about ideas such as the structure of the atom, the composition of atomic nuclei. The idea was that an electron is not just a moving ball that rotates around a nucleus. This is a blurry substance that moves according to laws resembling the propagation of waves in space. Quite quickly, this idea was extended to the movement of any body as a whole, explaining that we notice only one side of this movement itself, but the second does not actually appear. We can see the propagation of waves and not notice the movement of the particle, or vice versa. In fact, both of these sides of the movement always exist, and the rotation of an electron in its orbit is not only the movement of the charge itself, but also the propagation of waves. This approach is fundamentally different from the previously adopted planetary model.
Elemental basis
The nucleus of an atom is the center. Around him and the electrons revolve. The properties of the core are due to everything else. It is necessary to talk about such a concept as the composition of the nucleus of an atom from the most important moment - from a charge. The atom contains a certain number of electrons that carry a negative charge. The core itself has a positive charge. From this we can draw certain conclusions:
- A nucleus is a positively charged particle.
- Around the core is a pulsating atmosphere created by charges.
- It is the nucleus and its characteristics that determine the number of electrons in an atom.
Kernel properties
Copper, glass, iron, wood have the same electrons. An atom can lose a couple of electrons or even everything. If the core remains positively charged, then it is able to attract the right amount of negatively charged particles from other bodies, which will allow it to survive. If an atom loses a certain number of electrons, then the positive charge at the nucleus will be greater than the remainder of negative charges. In this case, the whole atom will acquire an excess charge, and it can be called a positive ion. In some cases, an atom can attract more electrons, and then it becomes negatively charged. Therefore, it can be called a negative ion.
How much does an atom weigh ?
The mass of an atom is mainly determined by the nucleus. The electrons that make up an atom and an atomic nucleus, weigh less than one thousandth of the total mass. Since mass is considered a measure of the energy reserve that a substance possesses, this fact is considered incredibly important when studying such a question as the composition of the atomic nucleus.
Radioactivity
The most difficult questions appeared after the discovery of x-rays. Radioactive elements emit alpha, beta and gamma waves. But such radiation must have a source. Rutherford in 1902 showed that the atom itself, or rather, the nucleus, is such a source. On the other hand, radioactivity is not only the emission of rays, but also the transfer of one element to another, with completely new chemical and physical properties. That is, radioactivity is a change in the nucleus.
What do we know about nuclear structure?
Almost a hundred years ago, the physicist Prouth put forward the idea that the elements in the periodic system are not incoherent forms, but are combinations of hydrogen atoms. Therefore, it could be expected that both the charges and the masses of the nuclei will be expressed through integer and multiple charges of hydrogen itself. However, this is not quite true. Studying the properties of atomic nuclei using electromagnetic fields, the physicist Aston found that elements whose atomic weights were not integer and multiple are, in fact, a combination of different atoms, and not one substance. In all cases when the atomic weight is not an integer, we observe a mixture of different isotopes. What it is? If we talk about the composition of the nucleus of an atom, isotopes are atoms with the same charges, but with different masses.
Einstein and the nucleus of an atom
The theory of relativity says that mass is not a measure by which the quantity of matter is determined, but a measure of the energy that matter possesses. Accordingly, matter can not be measured by mass, but by the charge that makes up this matter, and the charge energy. When the same charge approaches another one of the same, the energy will increase, otherwise, decrease. This, of course, does not mean a change in matter. Accordingly, from this position, the nucleus of an atom is not a source of energy, but rather, the remainder after its release. Hence, there is a certain contradiction.
Neutrons
The Curie spouses, when bombarded with alpha particles of beryllium, discovered some strange rays that, when they collide with the nucleus of an atom, repel it with great force. However, they are able to pass through the greater thickness of the substance. This contradiction was resolved by the fact that this particle turned out to be with a neutral electric charge. Accordingly, it was called a neutron. Thanks to further research, it turned out that the mass of the neutron is almost the same as that of the proton. In general, the neutron and proton are incredibly similar. Given this discovery, it was definitely possible to establish that both the protons and the neutrons, both in equal amounts, are part of the atomic nucleus. Everything gradually fell into place. The number of protons is the atomic number. Atomic weight is the sum of the masses of neutrons and protons. An isotope can also be called an element in which the number of neutrons and protons will not be equal to each other. As mentioned above, in this case, although the element remains the same, its properties can change significantly.