Drawbacks of Rutherford's Model of Atom - Structure of Atom, Class 9 Science Video Lecture

Ans. The drawbacks of Rutherford's model of the atom are as follows: 1. The model could not explain why the negatively charged electrons are not attracted towards the positively charged nucleus and why they do not fall into it. 2. It could not explain the stability of the atom, as according to classical electromagnetic theory, a charged particle in motion should emit radiation and lose energy, causing the electron to spiral into the nucleus. 3. The model failed to explain the existence of spectral lines, which are specific wavelengths of light emitted or absorbed by atoms. 4. It could not account for the behavior of atoms with more than one electron. 5. The model did not explain the distribution of charge within the atom, as it considered the positive charge to be concentrated at the center in the form of a point-like nucleus, while the negative charge was distributed in the surrounding space.

Ans. Rutherford's model of the atom could not explain the stability of the atom because, according to classical electromagnetic theory, a charged particle in motion should emit radiation and lose energy. As a result, the electron would spiral into the nucleus, ultimately leading to the collapse of the atom. However, this contradicted the observation that atoms are stable and do not collapse. Therefore, Rutherford's model failed to provide an explanation for the stability of atoms.

Ans. Rutherford's model of the atom failed to explain the behavior of atoms with more than one electron because it considered the atom to be a miniature solar system, with electrons orbiting the nucleus in circular paths. However, this model could not account for the interactions and repulsions between the electrons themselves. In reality, the behavior of electrons in multi-electron atoms is much more complex, with electrons occupying different energy levels and orbitals, which was not accounted for in Rutherford's model.

Ans. Rutherford's model of the atom could not explain the existence of spectral lines because it did not consider the quantized nature of energy levels in atoms. Spectral lines are specific wavelengths of light emitted or absorbed by atoms when electrons transition between different energy levels. However, in Rutherford's model, the electrons were assumed to move in continuous orbits, without any restrictions on their energy levels. Therefore, the model failed to explain why only certain wavelengths of light are emitted or absorbed by atoms, leading to the existence of spectral lines.

Ans. Rutherford's model of the atom overlooked the distribution of charge within the atom by considering the positive charge to be concentrated at the center in the form of a point-like nucleus, while the negative charge was distributed in the surrounding space. However, subsequent experiments and developments in atomic theory revealed that the positive charge is not concentrated in a point-like nucleus but is distributed throughout the atom. The nucleus was later found to contain protons, which are positively charged particles, while the electrons were discovered to be present in energy levels surrounding the nucleus. Therefore, Rutherford's model failed to accurately represent the distribution of charge within the atom.