Who discovered the neutrons?

It is James Chadwick that discovered neutrons back in the year 1932. According to experts, the discovery of the neutron made it possible to have more developments in atomic physics. These developments would not have been possible without the discovery of neutrons and the other particles that make up the atom. Chadwick was working in the laboratory when he discovered neutrons.

Even before that, Chadwick was already starting to gain recognition as a researcher and the studies that he was making. He did gain a Nobel prize for the discovery of neutrons which is not surprising given that there are many changes that occurred because of this discovery.

It was James Chadwick who made the significant discovery of the Neutrons as a third part of the atom. Up until that time, only two particles of the atom was discovered, the Protons and Electrons. But the Newtrons had not been discovered till the discovery by James Chadwick in 1932 as part of his experiments. It was also at this time that it was defined as a newly understood elementary particle distinct from the proton.


This discovery eventually led to the creation of atomic weapons which have become an extremely destructive force in our world today. But the positive outcome is that many benefit from the neuclear power that is used to create electricity in vast amounts. The negative side effect of this is the waste that is radioactive in nature and continues to be dangerous for generations to come.

James Chadwick discovered neutron in 1932. But before this discovery, Ernest Rutherford, Father of Nuclear Physics, created a model of an atom which showed a nucleus having a proton (positive charge) and an electron (negative charge) inside nuclei. These reacted from electromagnetic fields but Ernest Rutherford believed that there is still one sub-unit of an atom that does not react to electromagnetic fields thus chargeless.

Since a neutron does not have a charge, it was very difficult to identify them. In 1931, Becker and Bothe confirmed that there was penetrating radiation that many thoughts were gamma rays as they have similar properties. But thousands of attempts and experiments, it was in 1932 that Chadwick discovered that they were neutrons not gamma rays.