The Plum Pudding model of the atom was proposed by which scientist in the early history of atomic structure?

Introduction / Context:
The question belongs to the history of atomic models in chemistry and physics. Before the modern nuclear model and quantum mechanical descriptions were established, scientists proposed simpler models to explain the structure of the atom. The Plum Pudding model is one of the earliest models that attempted to incorporate the newly discovered electron into an overall picture of the atom. Understanding who proposed this model helps you keep track of the sequence of atomic theories from Dalton's solid sphere model to Rutherford's nuclear model and beyond.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The name of the model is Plum Pudding model.
• The model was proposed after the discovery of the electron.
• We must identify the scientist who introduced this model.
• Options include Lavoisier, Boyle, Rutherford, J. J. Thomson and Dalton.

Concept / Approach:
The key is to recall which scientist discovered the electron and how he visualised the atom immediately after this discovery. J. J. Thomson discovered the electron using cathode ray experiments. To accommodate negatively charged electrons in a neutral atom, he proposed the Plum Pudding model. In this model, the atom was imagined as a positively charged sphere with negatively charged electrons embedded in it, similar to plums or raisins embedded in a pudding or cake. This idea is very different from Rutherford's nuclear model, which came later from alpha scattering experiments.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that John Dalton proposed an early atomic theory in which atoms were solid indivisible spheres, without internal structure. Step 2: Later, J. J. Thomson discovered the electron, showing that atoms contain smaller charged particles. Step 3: To explain how electrons could exist inside atoms while keeping the atom overall neutral, Thomson proposed the Plum Pudding model. Step 4: In this model, the atom is pictured as a sphere of diffuse positive charge with electrons embedded like plums in a pudding. Step 5: Ernest Rutherford later disproved this model through his gold foil experiment and proposed the nuclear model with a small, dense, positively charged nucleus. Step 6: Lavoisier and Boyle are associated with laws of chemical combination and gas behaviour but not with atomic models of this type. Step 7: Therefore, the scientist who proposed the Plum Pudding model is J. J. Thomson.

Verification / Alternative check:
Textbook timelines of atomic structure usually present Dalton's atomic theory, followed by Thomson's discovery of the electron and his Plum Pudding model, then Rutherford's nuclear model and Bohr's planetary model. If you remember that Thomson is linked with cathode rays and the electron, it becomes easy to associate him with the first structured model that included electrons. No other scientist in the options is described as proposing a pudding like atomic model.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Antoine Lavoisier worked on conservation of mass and chemical nomenclature, not on detailed atomic structure. Robert Boyle is known for Boyle's law relating pressure and volume of a gas. Ernest Rutherford proposed the nuclear model, not the Plum Pudding model. John Dalton introduced the idea of atoms as indivisible solid spheres, which predates the discovery of the electron. None of these match the description of the Plum Pudding model originator.

Common Pitfalls:
A common confusion is between Thomson and Rutherford, because both contributed to early atomic models. A simple way to distinguish them is to remember that Thomson is associated with electrons and a diffuse positive sphere, while Rutherford is associated with alpha particle scattering and a tiny dense nucleus. Another pitfall is to assume that Dalton, being the earliest atomic theorist, must have proposed all atomic models, which is not correct. Each scientist added a different layer of understanding.

Final Answer:
The Plum Pudding model of the atom was proposed by J. J. Thomson.