how would rutherford's gold foil experiemt be different if the gold was replaced with lithium?

Question

what will happen to the alpha particles?

Answer 1

they would turn less because the Li atoms have less protons

Answer 2

q answers answered the question best, and you should award him full points. It was the dense nuclei of gold that caused the deflection of alpha particles. As Rutherford himself put it, "It was as if you had fired an artillery shell at a sheet of paper, and it came rebounding back at you."

Answer 3

I think it would explode in the experiment because it is so reactive. Alpha particles are positive and Lithium easily gives up its electron which is negative. So it seems this would happen very rapidly and explode.

That is all I've got.

Answer 4

They would be deflected less, but they might also be deflected more often because Lithium atoms are smaller, so there should be more nuclei to deflect. Maybe they would deflect less because of the smaller target, but I think they would deflect a smaller angle, but more often.