Describe the Rutherford gold foil experiment an... - SS2 Chemistry Atomic Structure and Periodicity Question

The Rutherford gold foil experiment involved firing alpha particles at a thin sheet of gold foil and observing their behaviour. Rutherford expected the alpha particles to pass through the gold foil with minimal deflection, according to Thomson's "plum pudding" model. However, he observed unexpected results.

Some alpha particles deflected at large angles, while a few even bounced back in the opposite direction. This led Rutherford to conclude that the atom has a small, dense, positively charged nucleus at its centre. The majority of the atom's volume was in space, with electrons orbiting the nucleus at a significant distance.

Rutherford's experiment revolutionised the understanding of the atomic structure, disproving the prevailing model at the time and introducing the concept of a nuclear model of the atom.