Atomic Theory Timeline

  • 400 BCE

    Democritus

    Democritus
    Democritus first comes up with the idea that all matter is made of particles, or atoms.
  • Dalton

    Dalton
    John Dalton discovers the first useful atomic theory, based on the law of conservation of mass, and the law of constant composition
  • Crookes

    Crookes
    William Crookes discovers a fourth state of matter, which led to modern electronic theory, by charging electricity through a gas in a sealed tube
  • Becquerel

    Becquerel
    Henri Becquerel discovered radiation through investigating fluorescence in uranium salts
  • Thomson

    Thomson
    J.J Thomson discovered electrons by using a cathode ray tube
  • Rutherford

    Rutherford
    Ernest Rutherford discovers that atoms have a dense nucleus, which contains protons, with the gold-foil experiment.
  • Bohr

    Bohr
    Niels Bohr introduces the theory that electrons move around the nucleus of an atom in orbits, and introduced the idea that an electron could move from a higher energy orbit to a lower energy one
  • Electron Cloud Model

    Electron Cloud Model
    It was discovered that electrons move in orbitals, in different levels. The Electron Cloud Model is the model currently being used today.
  • Chadwick

    Chadwick
    James Chadwick discovered the neutron by bombarding elements with alpha particles