Atomic Theory

100 Years of Atomic Theory

1. David C. Clary

+Author Affiliations

1. Department of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK.

1. E-mail: david.clary@chem.ox.ac.uk

In 1913, Niels Bohr published a groundbreaking paper that introduced a new way of understanding atomic phenomena (1). Entitled “On the Constitution of Atoms and Molecules,” the article brought together for the first time the model of the atom developed by Rutherford, which consisted of a positively charged nucleus surrounded by negatively charged electrons, with the theory for quantization of radiation developed by Planck. The paper became one of the most influential of the 20th century.

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