Which statements are inconsistent with Rutherford's nuclear theory as it was originally stated? Why?

a. Since electrons are smaller than protons, and since a hydro - gen atom contains only one proton and one electron, it must follow that the volume of a hydrogen atom is mostly due to the proton.

b. A nitrogen atom has seven protons in its nucleus and seven electrons outside of its nucleus.

c. A phosphorus atom has 15 protons in its nucleus and 150 electrons outside of its nucleus.

d. The majority of the mass of a fluorine atom is due to its nine electrons.

a, c, and d.

Explanation:

By Rutherford's nuclear theory, an atom is formed by a positive nucleus, which is presented protons (with positive charge) and neutrons (with neutral charge), surrounded by electrons, which have a negative charge. The protons and the neutrons have a large mass than the electrons, and so are larger.

The mass of an atom is concentrated in the nucleus, but its volume is considered a "huge empty" because the electrons are far away from the nucleus, which as noticed when alpha particles crossed gold leaves (Rutherford's experiment).

a. The volume of the nucleus depends also on the neutrons, and the most volume of the atom is empty, so the statement is incorrect.

b. A neutral atom has the same number of protons and electrons. The number of protons is also the atomic number, so, for nitrogen, it's 7, and the statement is correct.

c. The atomic number of phosphorus is 15 so the neutral atom has 15 protons and 15 electrons, so the statement is incorrect.

d. The mass of an atom is concentrated in the nucleus, so the majority of the mass is due to the protons and neutrons, and the statement is incorrect.