Atomic Models

The purpose of this website is to familiarize the chemistry student with the history, development and structure of the quantum mechanical model of the atom. In the hope that the student will better understand the electron and the role of the electron in chemical bonding, compound formation and chemical reactions.

If one is to understand the basics of chemistry, one must understand that it is the electron and the electron configuration that determines chemical bonding and chemical reactivity. So, there are three questions we must answer:

On the follwoing pages, we will try to answer these questions.

• Scientific Model
• The Greeks and the Atom
• The Solid Shere Model
• The Plum Pudding Model
• The Nuclear Model
• The Planetary Model
• The Wave Mechanical Model
• The Quantum Mechanical Model