Of course all three of these discoveries have transformed our view of atomic physics in different ways. This finding was a result of bombarding nitrogen gas with alpha particles so that higher energy protons were ejected. Rutherford’s third big contribution was to effectively become the world’s first alchemist when he transformed nitrogen into oxygen. The results led to Rutherford’s second “eureka moment” when he realised that the majority of an atom’s mass is concentrated in a relatively tiny volume at its centre - he had discovered the nucleus. It was during this time that Rutherford, working with colleagues including Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden, carried out his famous scattering experiments, designed to probe the structure of the atom. Rutherford received the Nobel prize in 1908, about 18 months after he had begun working at the University of Manchester, where he held the chair of physics for 12 years. Essentially, Rutherford had discovered thorium gas. One major experimental breakthrough during this period was to discover that thorium gave off an “emanation” that was radioactive. Rutherford’s first major scientific work was to lead to him being awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his investigations into the disintegration of the elements, and the chemistry of radioactive substances. But Rutherford was an industrious researcher who many remarkable contributions to science, including three discoveries that revolutionised our view of matter. This year is the 100 year anniversary since Ernest Rutherford published his seminal paper describing his discovery of the atomic nucleus.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |