In this chapter, you will be introduced to the work of such pioneering scientists as John Dalton, Ernest Rutherford and others. These scientists studied the atom and its associated positive and negative charges. From their results, a model of the atom emerged that is still accepted today. Modern atomic theory is a foundation upon which physical science is built. Finally, you will be introduced to nuclear chemistry, which is based on the radiation emitted as an unstable nucleus undergoes a change to form a more stable nucleus.

In this chapter, you will learn: to define the term atom to list the postulates of Dalton's theory to discuss how atoms are related to electricity to discuss Rutherford's alpha-scattering experiment to determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in an atom or ion to define isotopes and atomic mass to describe the changes that accompany nuclear reactions