In his day, Niels Bohr's was a Nobel Prize (1922) winning physicist for his revolutionary model describing the structure of the atom.

These tutorials cover the beginnings of atomic theory. There will be a gradual progression in your knowledge of atomic theories throughout your entire study of chemistry, from where you are now as a beginning student studying chemistry, to where I "predict" you might be in four years hopefully graduating as a chemist. In my opinion, there is a good "probability" this could happen. For example, my two primary health physicians both have a degree in chemistry, and perhaps some day you will too. These ideas of "predict" and "probabilities." like the terms "accurate" and "precise," will soon become common place in supporting our theories, and one can only hope my prediction for your future success will come true. We need more chemists in this world.

Our journey in chemistry will be centered about the atom, the fundamental building block for elements. Today our scientific theories about the atom far surpass the Greek philosophers and their beliefs about the atom. Philosophies are grounded in shadow, opinion and illusion. A philosophy is like a belly button, everyone has one. Scientific theories are grounded in factual evidence, chemical and physical observation, and experimentation to support one's claims to explain worldly things. What began as a philosophy about the atom by the Greeks 2000 years ago, who believed in the existence of atoms and coined the term atoms as "atomos," has now developed into scientific theories grounded in factual evidence to support one's claims about the structure and substructure of atoms. More recently, some of the greatest philosophers of our time are individuals you might recognize, Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein. These great minds were scientists, not philosophers, because their beliefs about the atom were grounded in factual evidence, not opinion, and their theories about the atom revolutionized everyone's way of thinking about the world around us. Their knowledge was grounded in fact and experimental evidence, not in shadow, opinion and illusion.

This semester much of out attention will be focused around the electron, first by mapping out the general location, or greatest probability of finding an electron about a nucleus of atom. We will begin our study looking first at the general location of an electron being in an electron shell (principal quantum energy level) which was supported by a Nobel Prize winning and classical investigation into the structure and behavior of atoms known as Bohr's Model (1922). Later, you will study the shape and spatial orientation of atomic orbitals (AO's) mathematically mapped out yet by another Nobel Prize winning theory, Schrodinger's Wave-Mechanical Model (1933) used in quantum physics as a new productive form of modern atomic theory. These theories will help us to describe the shape and spatial orientation of electrons about an atom at 90% probability, the chemical behavior of atoms and later how atoms can be covalently bonded to each other to create molecules and other substances.

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• Reading Chapter 5 in our textbook,
• Studying all linked resources —tutorials, powerpoints, and PDFs—associated with these directions.

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