Dalton’s Atomic Theory

The postulates of Dalton's atomic theory: which points do we still use today, and what have we
learned since Dalton?

● Dalton's atomic theory was the first complete attempt to describe all
matter in terms of atoms and their properties.

● Dalton based his theory on the law of conservation of mass and the law of
constant composition.

● The first part of his theory states that all matter is made of atoms, which
are indivisible.

● The second part of the theory says all atoms of a given element are
identical in mass and properties.

● The third part says compounds are combinations of two or more different
types of atoms.

● The fourth part of the theory states that a chemical reaction is a

rearrangement of atoms.

● Parts of the theory had to be modified based on the discovery of

subatomic particles and isotopes.

● John Dalton's atomic theory was the first complete attempt to describe all
matter in terms of atoms and their properties.

- atoms are not indivisible because they are made up of​ protons, neutrons, and electrons. 
 
- The modern picture of an atom is very different from Dalton's "solid, massy" particle. In
fact, experiments by Ernest Rutherford, Hans Geiger, and Ernest Marsden showed that 
atoms are mostly made up of empty space. 
 
- Part two of Dalton's theory had to be modified after mass spectrometry experiments
demonstrated that atoms of the same element can have different masses because ​the 
number of neutrons can vary for different isotopes of the same element. 
 
- Dalton's atomic theory is still mostly true, and it ​forms the framework of modern 
chemistry. 
BASIS

the law of conservation of mass and the law of constant composition​.

law of conservation of mass:​ matter is not created or destroyed in a closed

system. That means if we have a chemical reaction, the amount of each element
must be the same in the starting materials and the products.

law of constant composition:​ a pure compound will always have the same
proportion of the same elements.

- For example, table salt, which has the molecular formula {NaCl} contains
the same proportions of the elements sodium and chlorine no matter how
much salt you have or where the salt came from. If we were to combine
some sodium metal and chlorine gas—which I wouldn't recommend doing
at home—we could make more table salt which will have the same
composition.

Dalton’s Theory

Pt. 1; All matter is made up of atoms. 

 
Dalton hypothesized that the law of conservation of mass and the law of definite
proportions could be explained using the idea of atoms. He proposed that all
matter is made of tiny indivisible particles called atoms, which he imagined as
"solid, massy, hard, impenetrable, movable particle(s)".

****It is important to note that since Dalton did not have the necessary 
instruments to see or otherwise experiment on individual atoms, he did not have 
any insight into whether they might have any internal structure.**** 
 
 
   
 Pt. 2; All atoms of a given element are identical in mass and 
properties. 
 
Dalton proposed that every single atom of an element, such as gold, is the same
as every other atom of that element. He also noted that the atoms of one element
differ from the atoms of all other elements.

- Elements may share some similar boiling points, melting points, and 
electronegativities, but no two elements have the same exact set of 
properties. 
 
Pt. 3; Compounds are combinations of two or more different typesof 
atoms 
 
In the third part of Dalton's atomic theory, he proposed that compounds are
combinations of two or more different types of atoms.

- An example of such a compound is table salt. Table salt is a combination

of two separate elements with unique physical and chemical properties.
The first, sodium, is a highly reactive metal.
- The second, chlorine, is a toxic gas. When they react, the atoms combine
in a 1:1 ratio to form white crystals of NaCl, which we can sprinkle on our
food.

Since atoms are indivisible, they will always combine in simple whole number ratios. 
 
 
Pt. 4; A chemical reaction is a rearrangement of atoms 

In the final part of Dalton’s theory, he suggests that chemical reactions don't
destroy or create atoms. They merely rearranged the atoms.

Using the salt example again, when sodium combines with chlorine to make salt,
both the sodium and chlorine atoms still exist. ​They simply rearrange to form a 
new compound.