In the autumn of 1910, Ernst Rutherford, overwhelmed by thoughts, painfully tried to understand the internal structure of the atom. His experiments on the scattering of alpha particles by various substances convincingly proved that inside the atom there is some hitherto unexplored, massive body. In 1912, Rutherford would call it the atomic nucleus. Thousands of questions swirled in the scientist's head. What charge does this unknown body have? How many electrons are needed to give it weight?
In May 1911, Rutherford publishes an article on the structure of the atom, which is preceded by a very significant caveat that the stability of the atomic structure probably depends on the subtleties of the internal structure of the atom and the movement of charged particles, which are its important structural component. This is how the electronic configuration was born - the nuclear-electronic atomic model. This model was destined to play an invaluable role in nuclear physics.
Electronicconfiguration is the order in which electrons are distributed in atomic orbits. Thanks to the inquisitive mind and perseverance of Ernst Rutherford, who managed to defend his idea, science was enriched with new knowledge, the value of which cannot be overestimated.
The electronic configuration of the atom is as follows. In the center of the entire structure is the nucleus, which consists of a different number of neutrons and protons for each substance. What causes the positive charge of the nucleus. Electrons move around it along the corresponding concentric orbits - negatively charged elementary particles. These atomic orbits are also called shells. The outer orbit of an atom is called the valence orbit. And the number of electrons on it is valence.
Each electronic configuration of the elements differs in the number of electrons it contains. For example, an atom of the simplest substance in the universe - hydrogen - contains only one single electron, an oxygen atom - eight, and the electronic configuration of iron has twenty-six electrons.
But it is not the number of electrons that is of decisive importance in the electronic model of the atom, but what holds them together and makes the whole system function properly - the nucleus and its composition. It is the core that gives the substance its individual qualities and characteristics. Electrons sometimes leave the atomic model, and then the atom acquires a positive charge (due to the charge of the nucleus). In this case, the substance does not change its properties. But if you change the composition of the nucleus, then it will be a completely different substance with different qualities. It is not easy to do this, but it is still possible.
Since the electronic configuration is impossible without its main structural element - the atomic nucleus, it should be given special attention. It is this central element of the atomic model that forms the individual properties and characteristics of any chemical substance. Protons, which, in fact, give the nucleus a positive charge, are 1840 times heavier than any electron. But the force of the charge of a proton is equal to a similar value of any electron. In a state of balance, the number of protons in an atom is equal to the number of electrons. In this case, the nucleus is a carrier of zero charge.
Another important particle of the atomic nucleus is called the neutron. It was this element, which had no charge, that made the nuclear chain reaction possible. So it is simply impossible to overestimate the value of the neutron.
