Dalton's Atomic Theory

A brief Introduction to Dalton’s Atomic Theory:

John Dalton (1766 – 1844) was an English chemist, mathematician and philosopher. John Dalton contributed to science in many ways, but one of his famous achievements was the development of the atom theory. According to Dalton, atoms of the same element are identical, yet atoms from one element are different from atoms of other elements.

Here is a summary of the theory:

• Elements are composed of exceptionally small particles called atoms.
• All atoms of a given element are identical in which they share the same size, mass and chemical properties. However, the atoms of one element are quite different from the atoms of all other elements.

• Compounds are composed of atoms of more than one element. In any compound, the ratio of the # of atoms of any two of the elements present is either a simple fraction or an integer.

• A chemical reaction can only involve combination, separation or the rearrangement of atoms. Atoms cannot be destroyed or created in a chemical reaction.

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