Sir James Chadwick played an important role in atomic theory
Neutron illustration (commons.wikimedia.org/Cush)
Initially, scientists believed that atoms were the smallest substances that were equal to all types of matter and could not be broken down into smaller ones. However, along with the development of increasingly complex atomic theory, it seems that many new facts are starting to emerge.
One of the scientists who played an important role in atomic theory was Sir James Chadwick. James Chadwick was a British scientist who discovered neutrons and worked with Ernest Rutherford, a physicist from New Zealand, to research gamma ray emitters. So what was the process of discovering neutrons? Here’s the review!
What was the process of discovering neutrons?
Neutron illustration (commons.wikimedia.org/Javierha)
Reported Byju’s, In 1930 the discovery of the neutron can be traced to observations made by German nuclear physicists Herbert Becker and Walther Bothe who discovered that a form of penetrating radiation was produced when alpha particles emitted by polonium hit relatively light elements such as lithium, beryllium and boron. There is no influence of the electric field on this penetrating radiation so it is interpreted as gamma radiation.
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This extraordinary penetrating radiation was observed by French scientists Frederic Joliot-Curie and Irene Joliot-Curie in 1932, who showed that upon contact with paraffin wax or other hydrogen-rich compounds it resulted in the release of high-energy protons (~5 MeV). Italian physicist Ettore Majorana explained that the presence of neutral particles in the atomic nucleus plays an important role in the way radiation interacts with protons.
In 1920 Ernest Rutherford also proposed the existence of neutral particles, he explained that neutral charged particles consist of protons and electrons which are bound to each other and are in the atomic nucleus. The term ‘neutron’ was also coined by Ernest Rutherford to refer to these neutrally charged particles.
Reported Wondrium Daily, It was not until 1932 that the British physicist Sir James Chadwick discovered the neutron. Chadwick conducted experiments similar to Rutherford’s experiments. In his experiment, Chadwick fired his atomic bullet at the element beryllium, not gold. These collisions will produce a new type of particle that is the same size as a proton, but can penetrate several inches of lead.
When a particle is taken and is able to penetrate several inches of lead, it will show that the particle is moving very quickly and that the particle is electrically neutral or has no positive or negative charge. So, Chadwick discovered that the neutron was indeed physically neutral and he also discovered that its mass was slightly greater than the mass of the proton.
Also read: Get to know neutron stars, the scary cute ones
2023-09-30 22:05:00
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