1. What did Moseley's x-ray spectrum's reveal about the structure of the atom?

Moseley discovered that each element has a unique X-ray spectrum - a sort of fingerprint that can be used to identify that element. Even more surprising, he found there was a simple relationship between an element's spectrum and its "atomic number."

2. Sketch the pattern shown in Rutherford'd Au foil experiment. How did this data contribute to understanding the structure of the atom?

Rutherford overturned Thomson's model in 1911 with his famous gold-foil experiment, in which he demonstrated that the atom has a tiny, massive nucleus.

3. How is it possible to create new elements that have never existed on earth before?

A synthetic element is one of 24 chemical elements that do not occur naturally on Earth: they have been created by human manipulation of fundamental particles in a nuclear reactor, a particle accelerator, or the explosion of an atomic bomb; thus, they are called "synthetic", "artificial", or "man-made".

4. How was plutonium made?

Plutonium is created in a reactor when uranium atoms absorb neutrons. Nearly all plutonium is man-made. Plutonium predominantly emits alpha particles - a type of radiation that is easily stopped and has a short range. It also emits neutrons, beta particles and gamma rays.

5. Why does a nuclear bomb release so much energy so quickly?

Nuclear fission is a process by which the nucleus of an atom is split into two or more smaller nuclei, known as fission products. The fission of heavy elements is an exothermic reaction, and huge amounts of energy are released in the process. The nuclei produced are most often of comparable but slightly different sizes, typically with a mass ratio of products of about 3:2 for common fissile isotopes. Most fissions are binary fissions that produce two charged fragments. Occasionally, about 2 to 4 times per 1000 events, three positively charged fragments are produced, which indicates a ternary fission. The smallest of these fragments in ternary processes ranges from the size of a proton to the size of an argon nucleus.

1. What did Moseley's x-ray spectrum's reveal about the structure o...