The fact that all objects consist of elementary particles was assumed by the scientists of Ancient Greece. But in those days there was no way to prove this fact or disprove it. And the properties of atoms in ancient times could only be guessed based on their own observations of various substances.
It was possible to prove that all substances consist of elementary particles only in the 19th century, and then indirectly. At the same time, physicists and chemists around the world were trying to create a unified theory of elementary particles, describing their structure and explaining various properties, such as the charge of the nucleus.
The studies of molecules, atoms and their structure were devoted to the works of many scientists. Physics gradually moved into the study of the microworld - elementary particles, their interactions and properties. Scientists began to wonder what the atomic nucleus consists of, put forward hypotheses and try to prove them, at least indirectly.
BAs a result, the planetary model of the structure of the atom, proposed by Ernest Rutherford and Niels Bohr, was adopted as the basic theory. According to this theory, the charge of the nucleus of any atom is positive, while negatively charged electrons revolve in its orbits, eventually making the atom electrically neutral. Over time, this theory was repeatedly confirmed by various experiments, starting with the experiments of one of its co-authors.
Modern nuclear physics considers the Rutherford-Bohr theory to be fundamental, all studies of atoms and their elements are based on it. On the other hand, most of the hypotheses that have emerged over the past 150 years have not been practically confirmed. It turns out that most nuclear physics is theoretical due to the ultra-small sizes of the objects under study.
Of course, in the modern world, it is much easier to determine the charge of the nucleus of aluminum, for example (or any other element), than in the 19th century, and even more so - in Ancient Greece. But making new discoveries in this area, scientists sometimes come to surprising conclusions. Trying to find a solution to one problem, particle physics faces new problems and paradoxes.
Initially, Rutherford's theory says that the chemical properties of a substance depend on the charge of the nucleus of its atom and, as a result, on the number of electrons revolving in its orbits. Modern chemistry and physics fully confirm this version. Although the studyThe structure of molecules was initially based on the simplest model - a hydrogen atom, the nuclear charge of which is 1, the theory fully applies to all elements of the periodic table, including rare earth metals and radioactive substances obtained artificially at the end of the last millennium.
It is curious that long before Rutherford's research, an English chemist, a doctor by education, William Prout, noticed that the specific gravity of various substances is a multiple of a given hydrogen index. He then suggested that all other elements simply consist of hydrogen at some simplest level. That, for example, a particle of nitrogen is 14 such minimal particles, oxygen is 16, etc. If we consider this theory globally in a modern interpretation, then in general it is correct.
