Milikan contribution to modern chemistry

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Robert Millikan's most significant contribution to modern chemistry was his precise determination of the charge of the electron. Step 1: In his famous oil-drop experiment (completed around 1909), Millikan sprayed tiny oil droplets into a chamber. Step 2: He then used an electric field to suspend these droplets against gravity. By balancing the gravitational force with the electric force on a charged droplet, he could calculate the charge on that droplet. Step 3: Millikan found that the charges on all the droplets were integer multiples of a fundamental, smallest unit of charge. Step 4: He identified this fundamental unit as the charge of a single electron, denoted as 'e'. This value is approximately 1.602 × 10⁻¹⁹ Coulombs. Step 5: Knowing the exact charge of the electron was crucial for understanding atomic structure, the nature of chemical bonding, and the behavior of electricity in chemical reactions.

Milikan contribution to modern chemistry

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Step-by-step solution

In his famous oil-drop experiment (completed around 1909), Millikan sprayed tiny oil droplets into a chamber.

He then used an electric field to suspend these droplets against gravity.

Millikan found that the charges on all the droplets were integer multiples of a fundamental, smallest unit of charge.

He identified this fundamental unit as the charge of a single electron, denoted as 'e'.

Knowing the exact charge of the electron was crucial for understanding atomic structure, the nature of chemical bonding, and the behavior of electricity in chemical reactions.

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