Henry Moseley followed all these developments closely and asked Rutherford if he too could initiate a program of research on x-rays. Modern ideas about quantum physics emerged from there. That same realization was eventually made of electrons, thus opening up the possibility of treating the electron as a wave, as Erwin Schrödinger went on to do.

The study of x-rays was one of the first areas of physics in which wave-particle duality- the view that some phenomena might be neither one nor the other but both together-began to take shape. Two other British physicists, Henry Bragg and his son William, found that even reflection from crystals could be used to obtain useful information on the distances between planes of atoms.Īt the same time, there was a great deal of debate as to whether x-rays were waves or particles. Furthermore, a British physicist, Charles Barkla, found that each element scattered x-rays to a different extent, producing distinctive lines and thereby indicating the scatterer’s composition. The diffraction of x-rays differed based on the type of crystal used the pattern of lines could be precisely measured to obtain detailed information about the distance between the planes of atoms that make up the crystals, unveiling their structure. This prediction was almost immediately confirmed by independent researchers, who found that the diffracted rays produced discrete lines on photographic film. In 1912 another German physicist, Max von Laue, proposed that crystals of inorganic compounds (substances that are not based on carbon–hydrogen bonded molecules) might be capable of diffracting x-rays. In 1897 the German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen had discovered some mysterious rays that he named x-rays, which found immediate applications in medicine as well as basic scientific research. But what really excited Moseley was another new area of physics, one that had begun slightly before the discovery of radioactivity. Rutherford immediately set Moseley to work on experiments with radioactive isotopes, apparently recognizing his talents. After failing to gain a first-class honors degree in physics-probably because he was too interested in the subject matter rather than techniques for passing exams-Moseley transferred his studies to the University of Manchester to work with Rutherford.

He noticed that pursuits such as fox hunting were regarded as more important than academic excellence. He was disappointed with the lack of interest in academic work in general and physics in particular at the college, however. In 1906 Moseley gained another scholarship, this time to Trinity College at the University of Oxford. There he excelled at academic work as well as sports he also became infused with a patriotic spirit that eventually cost him his life. In 1901 the young Moseley earned a scholarship to study at Eton, one of England’s most prestigious schools. One grandfather was a mathematician the other and Moseley’s father were zoologists. Both of his grandfathers as well as his father, who died when he was just four years old, were fellows of the Royal Society. He was born in the county of Dorset in England in 1887, into a family with an extraordinary scientific pedigree. Henry Moseley seemed destined to leave his mark on science. It is likely that Moseley would have won the Nobel Prize himself, if not for his untimely death.

Moseley worked with some giants in physics, including the legendary Ernest Rutherford, who discovered the structure of the atom. His methods also showed the logic of the now standard ordering of the periodic table. His work allowed for the definitive identification of substances, and revealed that several elements were missing from the periodic table of the time, setting up subsequent researchers to make groundbreaking discoveries about the composition of the world.

Moseley discovered a way to use x-rays in a vacuum to identify the atomic charge of elements (a critical measurement of their chemical properties, now known to correspond to the number of electrons in each element).

Henry moseley atomic theory