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How to Make an Atom Structure at Home With Marshmallows

In 1911, the Nobel Prize-winning chemist Ernest Rutherford became aware that atoms contained elements called protons and neutrons. Rutherford then discovered that electrons orbited the protons and neutrons, but the geometry of atoms was still open to debate. A Danish scientist, Niels Bohr, then suggested that electrons revolved around the nucleus in several different orbits. Although the model suggested by Bohr is no longer considered perfect, it is still the best model to demonstrate the structure of an atom.

Things You'll Need

Packet of large multicolored marshmallows
Packet of small marshmallows
Large paper plate

Instructions

- 1
  Place three large white marshmallows and four large pink marshmallows in a group in the center of a large plate. These represent three protons and four neutrons in the nucleus of a lithium atom.
- 2
  Place a small marshmallow on the outer edge of the plate. It can go anywhere around the edge because it represents a second-energy-level electron orbiting the lithium nucleus.
- 3
  Place two small marshmallows in an orbiting position about halfway between the nucleus and the edge of the plate. These represent two lithium electrons in the first-energy-level orbit. The model of the atomic structure of an atom is complete.

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