Questions "What does matter consist of?", "What is the nature of matter?" has always occupied mankind. 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 as close as possible to unraveling this mystery by discovering the atomic structure of matter. But what is the composition of the nucleus of an atom? What is it all made of?
From theory to reality
By the beginning of the twentieth century, atomic structure had ceased to be just a hypothesis, but had become an absolute fact. It turned out that the composition of the nucleus of an atom is a very complex concept. It contains electrical charges. But the question arose: do the composition of the atom and the atomic nucleus include different amounts of these charges or not?
Planetary Model
Initially, the atom was thought to be built very much like our solar system. HoweverIt quickly turned out that this view was not entirely correct. The problem of a purely mechanical transfer of the astronomical scale of the picture to an area that occupies millionths of a millimeter has led to a significant and dramatic change in the properties and qualities of phenomena. The main difference was the much more stringent laws and rules by which the atom is built.
Disadvantages of the planetary model
Firstly, since atoms of the same kind and element must be exactly the same in terms of parameters and properties, the orbits of the electrons of these atoms must also be the same. However, the laws of motion of astronomical bodies could not provide answers to these questions. The second contradiction lies in the fact that the movement of an electron along the orbit, if well-studied physical laws are applied to it, 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 die out and even fall into the nucleus.
Mother wave structureand
In 1924, the young aristocrat Louis de Broglie put forward an idea that turned the scientific community's ideas about such issues as the structure of the atom, the composition of atomic nuclei. The idea was that an electron is not just a moving ball that revolves around the 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 inin general, explaining that we notice only one side of this very movement, but the second is not actually manifested. 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 motion always exist, and the rotation of an electron in orbit is not only the movement of the charge itself, but also the propagation of waves. This approach is fundamentally different from the previously accepted planetary model.
Elementary foundation
The nucleus of an atom is the center. Electrons revolve around it. Everything else is determined by the properties of the core. It is necessary to talk about such a concept as the composition of the nucleus of an atom from the most important point - from the charge. An atom contains a certain number of electrons that carry a negative charge. The nucleus 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 all. If the nucleus 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 on the nucleus will be greater than the remainder of the negative charges. ATIn 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 will become 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 the atom and the 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 arose 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 such a source is the atom itself, or rather, the nucleus. On the other hand, radioactivity is not only the emission of rays, but also the conversion of one element into 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 Prout put forward the idea that the elements in the periodic table are not random forms, but are combinations of hydrogen atoms. Therefore, one could expect that both the charges and the masses of nuclei would be expressed in terms of integer and multiple charges of hydrogen itself. However, this is not quite true. By studying the properties of atomicnuclei with the help of electromagnetic fields, the physicist Aston established that elements whose atomic weights were not integers and multiples, in fact, are a combination of different atoms, and not one substance. In all cases where 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 the atom
The theory of relativity says that mass is not a measure by which the amount of matter is determined, but a measure of the energy that matter possesses. Accordingly, matter can be measured not by mass, but by the charge that makes up this matter, and the energy of the charge. When the same charge approaches another of the same, the energy will increase, otherwise it will 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 a residue after its release. So there is some contradiction.
Neutrons
The Curies, when bombarded with alpha particles of beryllium, discovered some incomprehensible rays that, colliding with the nucleus of an atom, repel it with great force. However, they are able to pass through a large thickness of matter. This contradiction was resolved by the fact that the given particle turned out to have a neutral electric charge. Accordingly, it was called the neutron. Thanks to further research, it turned out that the mass of the neutron is almost the same as that of the proton. Generally speaking, the neutron and the proton are incredibly similar. With consideringFrom this discovery it was definitely possible to establish that the composition of the nucleus of an atom includes both protons and neutrons, and in equal quantities. 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 discussed above, in such a case, although the element remains essentially the same, its properties may change substantially.
