Question
Chadwick's experimental work on the atom led to a better understanding of isotopes. Explain how his work led to this understanding.
Answer
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Wesley
Professional · Tutor for 6 years
Answer
### Chadwick provided the evidence to show the existence of neutrons. Isotopes have the same number of protons but with different numbers of neutrons.
Explanation
## Step 1: Discovery of Neutrons### James Chadwick's experimental work played a pivotal role in the discovery of the neutron in 1932. His experiments involved bombarding beryllium with alpha particles. The collision produced a neutral particle with a mass close to that of a proton, which he identified as the neutron.## Step 2: Isotope Composition### The identification of the neutron provided an explanation for the existence of isotopes. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei.## Step 3: Understanding Isotopic Variation### Chadwick's discovery showed that isotopes differed from each other due to the number of neutrons. Prior to this discovery, the variation in atomic masses among isotopes could not be explained adequately since only protons and electrons were known.#