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Atomic Models
Five historical models of the atom in 3D. Switch Dalton, Thomson, Rutherford, Bohr or Quantum.
Read the article: What is an atom →
tabatomic-models
modelbohr
contextreference: carbon-12 (Z = 6)
shortcutsspace · r · l · f · d · c · 2 · p
Select historical model
Ionic state:
0
NEUTRAL
6 e⁻
·
protons = electrons
·
e.g. noble gases (He, Ne, Ar)
1913
Niels Bohr
What it explained
Limitations
1s — 2 electrons (dense spherical core)
2s — 2 electrons (sphere with radial node)
2p — 2 unpaired electrons (perpendicular lobes, Hund's rule)
Carbon-12 (Z = 6). Same atom in every model. Sizes are illustrative.
Atomic Model Color Legend
Proton (+) — positive charge in the nucleus
Neutron — neutral, also in the nucleus
Electron (−) — negative charge, in orbit
Orbit / Shell — quantized energy level
Probability cloud — quantum model (no defined orbit)