Understanding John Dalton's atomic theory of matter
Understanding John Dalton's atomic theory of matter
John Dalton and the development of the atomic theory.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Transcript
NARRATOR: Theorists have sought to determine what makes up matter since the age of the Greeks. At the beginning of the 19th century, the English scientist John Dalton proposed an atomic theory that became the basis for the study of chemistry. His theory contained five main propositions:
1. All matter is comprised of tiny, definite particles called atoms.
2. Atoms are indivisible and indestructible.
3. All atoms of a particular element share identical properties, including weight.
4. Atoms of different elements contain different mass. And
5. Atoms of different elements combine in fixed whole-number ratios when forming compounds.
Not all of these concepts were new. Dalton’s theory built strongly upon the work of other scientists, such as Henry Cavendish and Joseph-Louis Proust. His contribution was to combine these ideas into a consistent theory that could be measured and tested. What other chemists proposed, Dalton showed.
1. All matter is comprised of tiny, definite particles called atoms.
2. Atoms are indivisible and indestructible.
3. All atoms of a particular element share identical properties, including weight.
4. Atoms of different elements contain different mass. And
5. Atoms of different elements combine in fixed whole-number ratios when forming compounds.
Not all of these concepts were new. Dalton’s theory built strongly upon the work of other scientists, such as Henry Cavendish and Joseph-Louis Proust. His contribution was to combine these ideas into a consistent theory that could be measured and tested. What other chemists proposed, Dalton showed.