Chemistry

Describe on Dalton’s Atomic Theory

Dalton’s Atomic Theory

Although the origin of idea that matter is composed of small indivisible particles’ called ‘a tomb’ (meaning —indivisible), dates back to the time of Democritus, a Greek Philosopher (460— 370 BC), it again started emerging as a result of several experimental studies which led to the Laws of Dalton’s Atomic Theory.

In 1808, Dalton published ‘A New System of Chemical Philosophy’ in which he proposed the following:

  1. Matter consists of indivisible atoms.
  2. All the atoms of a given element have identical properties including identical mass. Atoms of different elements differ in mass.
  3. Compounds are formed when atoms of different elements combine in a fixed ratio.
  4. Chemical reactions involve reorganization of atoms. These are neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction.

Dalton’s theory could explain the laws of chemical combination.