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370
Early Greek Models - Democritus
460BC - 370BC. Democritus was an Ancient Greek Philosopher who is often referred to as the "Father of Modern Science." He was the first philosopher to give insight into the shapes and connectivity of atoms. His theory stated that everything is composed of atoms, with empty space between each atom. He also stated that atoms are indestructible and are constantly in motion. It's quite amazing how accurate his theories were, considering he came up with them almost 2500 years ago. -
Period: 370 to 460
Early Greek Models - Democritus
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Jan 1, 700
Medieval Alchemy
During this time period, most alchemical development occured in the Arab Empire and Islamic Civilization. Muslim alchemists were the first to use experimental scientific method, as used in modern chemistry. However, they focused on the transmutation of metals, the philosopher's stone, and the artificial creation of life, which, by today's standards, wouldn't be considered scientific at all. On the other hand, they did discover the distillation apparatus, purified alchohol, and a variety of acids -
Period: Jan 1, 700 to Jan 1, 1400
Medieval Alchemy
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John Dalton
John Dalton was an English chemist, meteorologist and physicist who contributed to the development of the modern atomic theory. He also did research on the topic of colour blidness, which is why colour blindness is sometimes referred to as "Daltonism." Dalton's atomic theory stated that: elements are made of tiny particles called atoms, all atoms of a given element are identical, atoms can combine to form compounds, and atoms cannot be created, divided nor destroyed through chemical process. -
Period: to
John Dalton
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Henri Becquerel
Antoine Henri Becquerel was a French physicist who discovered radioactivity. He was born in Paris, from a family with four generations of scientists. Becquerel discovered radioactivity by accident, while investigating phosphorescence in uranium salts. In 1903, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics, along with Marie and Pierre Curie. He also occupied the physics chair at the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle and was a chief engineer in the department of Bridges and Highways, -
Period: to
Henri Becquerel
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J.J Thompson
Joseph John Thompson was a British physicist and Nobel laureate who discovered the electron and isotopes and invented the mass spectrometer. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1906. Through the use of cathode rays, Thompson discovered something that weighed 1000 times less than the hydrogen atom and contained a negative charge. He named this the electron and recognized it as a fundamental building block of atoms, -
Period: to
J,J Thompson
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Marie and Pierre Curie
Marie and Pierre Curie were French physicists who made fundamental discoveries in crystallography, magnetism, piezoelectricity, and radioactivity. They received the Nobel Prize in physics in 1903, along with Henri Becquerel, for their research on radiation. Pierre designed a torsion balance for measuring magnetic coefficients , which he used to study magnetism. Together, they isolated polonium and radium. Essentially, they were the pioneers of radioactivity. The curie is a unit of radioactivity. -
Period: to
Pierre Curie
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Period: to
Marie Curie
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Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford was a British chemist and physicist who pioneered nuclear physics. He was knighted in 1914 and received the Hector Memorial Medal in 1916. He discovered radioactive decay and half life and differentiated and named alpha and beta radiation. He also proved that radioactivity involved the transmutation of one chemical to another. He died unexpectedly after an operation for an umbilical hernia. -
Period: to
Ernest Rutherford
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Niels Bohr
Niels Henrik David Bohr was a Danish physicist who contributed to the understanding of atomic structure and quantum mechanics. He received the Nobel Prize in physics in 1922. Bohr worked on the Manhattan Project, which was part of the Nuclear Arms Race between Russia and the USA. Despite working on the top secret project, Bohr believed that his research should be shared with everyone, inlcuding Russia. -
Period: to
Niels Bohr
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J. Chadwick
James Chadwick was a British physicist who discovered the neutron. His discovery was crucial for the fission of Uranium and therefore, the creation of the atomic bomb. For his findings, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1935. In the beginning of World War I, he was interned in a Geman P.O.W camp, where worked on the ionization of phosphorus and photo-chemical reaction of carbon monoxide and chlorine. -
Period: to
J. Chadwick
