Nobel Prize winning experimentalist, Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937), was an incredible chemist. Over the course of his career, he had many discoveries in the field of chemistry and physics. His most famous discovery, one that is still incredibly relevant today, the Gold Foil experiment, influenced the science world immensely, concluding many revolutionary ideas. After his famous experiment, Rutherford continued to work tirelessly to advance his knowledge of chemistry and the world around him. Rutherford is the most important chemist in the timeline of atomic theory for multiple reasons: he contributed/led many discoveries throughout his career, he possessed the ability to conclude the outcomes of his experiments, and won a Nobel Prize in chemistry.Many chemists before Rutherford attempted to design the nuclear structure of the atom Rutherford’s ideas were revolutionary at the time. He proved his teacher, J.J. Thomson, incorrect about his model of the atom, which the science world had accepted for over two decades. Furthermore, with his gold-foil experiment, he discovered multiple theories about the atom: the atom is mostly empty space, the nucleus is positively charged, and the nucleus carries most of the atom’s mass. Rutherford also concluded that all atoms have a positively-charged nucleus, which contains most of the mass of the atom. He then designed his interpretation of the atom, which proved to be correct until surpassed by Bohr. Yet, his discovery of the atomic nucleus is one of the greatest discoveries throughout all of atomic theory. Only a few later, in 1917, he reached a scientific milestone when he transformed nitrogen atoms to oxygen atoms, thus discovering the proton and successfully completing the first induced nuclear reaction. Another significant contribution of Rutherford to atomic theory was his theory of the existence of the neutron. Working with Niels Bohr, Rutherford concluded there must be a neutral subatomic particle located in the nucleus. An English physicist and Rutherford’s student, James Chadwick, proved neutron theory correct in 1932. Over the course of Rutherford’s career in atomic theory, his revolutionary ideas changed the course of chemistry forever. His consistently accurate and constant contributions have led to the nuclear atomic model today.
Though some may argue it was pure luck Rutherford used gold foil during his experiment because it has a stronger nucleus and therefore he was able to see the experiment more clearly, most discoveries throughout the history of atomic theory were unexpected as well. Furthermore, even if Rutherford did not use gold foil, his use of a radioactive source and a detecting screen is sufficient enough to have a successful experiment. Moreover, even if Rutherford used a different thin foil, he still would have concluded the atom is mostly empty space, and the nucleus contains a concentrated area of mass. After his famous experiment, unlike some others with their respective experiments, Rutherford concluded multiple theories explaining why everything happened the way it occurred. After completing the gold-foil experiment, Rutherford could explained why some of the alpha particles traveled through the foil undeflected, why some were deflected at small angles, and why some ricochet back from the foil.
Throughout history, as technology became more accessible and widespread during the early 20th century, everyone accepted and believed J.J. Thomson's Plum Pudding Model of the atom. Even Rutherford attempted to prove Thomson correct. It was until Rutherford conducted his famous Gold Foil experiment when he proved Thomson incorrect. His revolutionary experiment changed the course of chemistry in a way that only Rutherford could. Rutherford also, during his studies, discovered alpha and beta rays. Alpha
and beta rays have proved to be central in performing experiments even today. Rutherford’s discovery of these particles proved to be crucial in the chemistry field. Rutherford has made countless discoveries and contributions to science which makes him one of the key players in atomic theory and the evolution of chemistry itself.
Most of what Rutherford discovered throughout his life is still relevant and accurate today. His discoveries about protons, neutrons, the nucleus, and the entire atom itself substantially contributed to atomic theory. Without Rutherford’s contributions to the world of chemistry, other renowned chemists may not have made their discoveries without Rutherford to pave a way for them. Outside of chemistry, Rutherford’s contributions to modern-day chemistry have not been forgotten. He is even on the 100 dollar bill in New Zealand (the highest denomination, of course). Though some of his ideas have been proved wrong, his revolutionary thinking process, incredible discoveries, and genius experiments have made Rutherford into the most respected and important chemist for the understanding of atomic theory.