Hi
I believe the answer to be because of its high density. Gold or Aurum (Au) is very dense and hence will 'reflect'and 'deflect' alpha particles, which are helium nuclei. Beta particles are electrons
Hope that helps
Rutherford conducted the gold foil experiment in an evacuated chamber to reduce interference from air molecules that could affect the path of alpha particles. This ensured a clean environment for the experiment and allowed for more accurate measurements of the scattering of alpha particles by the gold foil, leading to the discovery of the atomic nucleus.
Gold foil was typically used as the target in alpha particle atomic experiments in the early 1900s. This was famously utilized by Ernest Rutherford in his gold foil experiment to study the structure of the atom.
Alpha particles are composed of two neutrons and two protons, so they have a positive charge. When the alpha particles bounced straight back from the gold foil, this indicated that they had hit a particle of like charge, in other words a positively charged particle in the gold foil, which repelled the alpha particle.
Rutherford shot high-energy alpha particles (two protons and two neutrons, or a helium nucleus) at the gold foil. A small fraction of these alpha particles bounced back, and that is how Rutherford discovered the nucleus.
If Geiger and Marsden had used magnesium foil instead of gold in their famous scattering experiment, they would have observed less scattering due to the lighter mass and lower atomic number of magnesium compared to gold. This would have resulted in the alpha particles penetrating the foil with less deflection, leading to different conclusions about the structure of the atom.
A zinc sulfide coated screen surrounding the gold foil produced a flash of light whenever it was struck by an alpha particle. By noting where the flash occurred, the scientists could determine if the atoms in the gold foil deflected the alpha particles.
Rutherford did not use beta particles for scattering experiments on gold foil because beta particles, being charged electrons, would have been deflected significantly by the electric fields of the atomic nuclei. Instead, he used alpha particles, which are positively charged and much heavier, allowing for a more straightforward interpretation of their scattering patterns. The interactions of alpha particles with the gold foil provided clearer insights into the structure of the atom, leading to the discovery of the nucleus. Additionally, alpha particles have a higher energy, which enhances their ability to penetrate the foil.
Rutherford conducted the gold foil experiment in an evacuated chamber to reduce interference from air molecules that could affect the path of alpha particles. This ensured a clean environment for the experiment and allowed for more accurate measurements of the scattering of alpha particles by the gold foil, leading to the discovery of the atomic nucleus.
Gold foil was typically used as the target in alpha particle atomic experiments in the early 1900s. This was famously utilized by Ernest Rutherford in his gold foil experiment to study the structure of the atom.
Alpha particles are composed of two neutrons and two protons, so they have a positive charge. When the alpha particles bounced straight back from the gold foil, this indicated that they had hit a particle of like charge, in other words a positively charged particle in the gold foil, which repelled the alpha particle.
Rutherford shot high-energy alpha particles (two protons and two neutrons, or a helium nucleus) at the gold foil. A small fraction of these alpha particles bounced back, and that is how Rutherford discovered the nucleus.
Rutherford conducted the famous gold foil experiment, where he observed that some alpha particles were deflected back at large angles when they passed through thin gold foil. This led him to propose that the positive charge of an atom is concentrated in a small, dense region called the nucleus.
Alpha particle ie doubly ionized helium atom scattering by the gold foil experiment formed the basis for the discovery of nucleus. The experiment was done by Marsden and Geiger but the experimental observation was commented and final conclusion derived by Rutherford.
The alpha particles scatter from the atomic nuclei in the gold foil. The repulsive electrostatic force between the nucleus and the alpha particle (because both are positively charged and like charges repel) deflects the alpha particle. Because of the large mass and (relatively) large energy of the alpha particles in Rutherford scattering experiments, the alpha particles are largely unaffected by the electrons in the gold atoms. More accurately, the scattering of the alpha particles from the electrons produces small angular deflections.Because the nucleus is small -- approximately 1/10000th the size of the whole atom -- most of the time the alpha particles will pass through the atom with little or no deflection. But occasionally, the alpha particles will start on a trajectory that, without the electrostatic deflection, would take them very close to the nucleus. In such cases, the electrostatic force produces a large angular deflection and can even scatter the alpha particles backwards. If the positive charge in the atom were distributed over the entire size of the atom, the likelihood of having such a large-angle scattering would be much smaller than it was (is) observed to be. Thus, the original experiments demonstrated that the positive charge in atoms is confined to a small region at the very center of an atom. Indeed, the data also provided an estimate of the size of the nucleus. More advanced analyses of such scattering experiments with modern equipment but using electron beams have provided detailed measurements of nuclear diameters for a wide range of atomic nuclei.
If Geiger and Marsden had used magnesium foil instead of gold in their famous scattering experiment, they would have observed less scattering due to the lighter mass and lower atomic number of magnesium compared to gold. This would have resulted in the alpha particles penetrating the foil with less deflection, leading to different conclusions about the structure of the atom.
A+ answer: A few of the alpha particles in his expeirment were deflected from the gold foil at large angles. Scattering pattern of alpha particles 'shot' at a thin gold foil. Most went straight thru showing the nucleus was very small. Analysis of the scattering showed electrical repulsion, not that the particles actually hit the nucleus and bounced off.
E. Rutherford, H. Geiger and E. Marsden discovered that all atoms have a positive charged nucleus. The electrons orbits this nucleus. Rutherford's experiment established what an atom looks like. When Rutherford sent alpha particles toward the gold foil, some passed while others bounced back. He collected the data and made a model of the atom. The only reason why some rays went through while others bounced back because of the composition of the atom in the gold foil.