Understanding Henry Moseley’s Periodic Table and His Life

Henry Moseley was an English Physicist, and he was born in Waymouth, Dorset, in 1887. He has extensively contributed his efforts in the field of Physics, and his studies helped shape physics as it stands today.

Moseley helped make advancements in atomic, quantum and nuclear physics. He helped refine the periodic table created by Rutherford and demonstrated that elements listed in the periodic table should be determined by their atomic numbers rather than their mass. Henry Moseley’s periodic table is used even today for educational and research purposes.

Life of Henry Moseley

Henry Moseley was a physicist born in Waymouth, Dorset, in 1887. His full name was Henry Gwyn Jeffreys Moseley. Henry’s father was a biologist and a professor at Oxford University, teaching anatomy and physiology there. His mother also had a background related to science as she was the daughter of a famous Welsh biologist and conchologist. While she was not a scientist, she was a chess champion. 

Henry Moseley completed his education at Trinity College in Oxford. As a result of his excellent work, in 1910, he was accepted to be a lecturer of Physics at the University of Manchester in the laboratory of Ernest Rutherford. He worked as a lecturer in the laboratory until he joined the army when World War I started. He worked as a telecommunication officer until he died during the Battle of Gallipoli in 1915.

Henry Moseley Periodic Table

Today’s modern periodic table used by students and scientists alike is referred to as the ‘Henry Mosely periodic table’. Dimitri Mendeleev made the first-ever periodic table, but it had errors and was not up to the mark; Moseley researched and fixed the original mistakes. 

The original periodic table was built in 1869 by Mendeleev, who arranged his table by atomic mass and had set it in ascending order.

Moseley started his practice and research on the periodic table in 1913. He experimented with the wavelengths of certain metals that emitted x-rays, and he calculated the positive charges present in the nucleus of an atom. Henry Moseley discovered that an element has many other properties by which they can be arranged in the periodic table. 

Besides, when Isotopes were discovered, it came to knowledge that atomic weight was not as important as the different properties of elements and their atomic number. Henry Moseley used the atomic number of a component to rearrange the periodic table and make the new Henry Moseley periodic table. His periodic law signified that atomic number or the arrangements of positive charges of electrons were important in finding out an atom’s chemical and physical properties.

Henry Moseley Atomic Theory

In 1913, Henry Moseley experimented with x-rays of certain periodic table metals. His experiments and calculations of protons in the nucleus led him to classify periodic table elements according to the atomic number. This experiment by him was called Henry Moseley’s Atomic Theory. He signified the atomic number with the letter Z.

Henry Moseley’s atomic theory worked because his studies proved much more to an atom than its atomic weight or mass. Henry Moseley first had his idea of his atomic theory in 1911, but he could only successfully execute it in 1913. Consultation from Neils Bohr and Braggs proved to be a big help for him in performing this experiment.

Henry Moseley Experiments

Henry Moseley’s experiments with x-rays led him to his atomic theory in 1913. He carried out numerous experiments, known as Henry Moseley experiments. Elements in the experiments were supercharged, with atoms attaching themselves to the cathodes. Those experiments showed the frequency of x-rays. Henry Moseley’s experiments also proved that the periodic table Mandaleeve made had at least four elements missing before listing Gold in that table. His experiments involved X-ray spectroscopy, and with this, he found the atomic number for elements of the periodic table and the missing elements of the table, such as hafnium (Z = 72) and rhenium (Z = 75).

Conclusion

Henry Mosely was driven by his passion for science and wanted to contribute to the field, and he was successful in it through his relentless practices and experiments. He discovered the central part of classification for the periodic table, and he also found a few of the missing elements. Although all credits go to Henry for being successful in his venture, it should be noted that he was influenced by Earnest Rutherford and consulted Neils Bohrs about the experiments. Henry Moseley’s atomic theory and Henry Moseley’s periodic table have helped everyone in the Physics and Chemistry fraternity since his findings in 1913.