In Rutherford’s α-particle scattering experiment, the conclusion that most of the atom is empty space was drawn because:
Only a few α-particles showed deflection
When a thin gold foil was bombarded, the overwhelming majority of α-particles went straight through the foil undeviated and only a very small fraction were turned through large angles.
Since a dense, charged region would have deflected any particle passing close to it, the fact that deflections were so rare means the particles almost never met anything on the way — so the volume of the atom is largely unoccupied, with its positive charge and mass packed into a tiny nucleus.
Had the particles been absorbed by the foil, no beam would have emerged at all, and the neutrality or chemical behaviour of the atom says nothing about how its matter is distributed.
Hence, the answer is Only a few α-particles showed deflection.
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