JOHN DALTON

1766 TO 1844

AKA” Father of Meteorology” & “ Father of Chemistry”

John Dalton,(born September 6 ,1766,Eaglefield,United kingdom and died in

July 27,1844 at Manchester)he was a meteorologist , chemist and physicist
,best known for introducing the atomic theory into chemistry and for his
work on human optics. In 1794 Dalton became the first to describe colour
blindness.

In 1804 Dalton proposed his atomic theory, the general tenets of this theory
are :all matters is composed of extremely small particles called atoms
.Atoms cannot be subdivided ,created or destroyed .Then In 1808 John Dalton published his first
general account of chemical theory, a cornerstone of modern chemistry. The theory originated in
his earlier Studies of atmospheric gases. One of the most important merits of Dalton’s atomic
theory is the fact that the theory does not violate several fundamental laws of chemical
combination such as the law of definite proportions, and the law of multiple proportions, and the
law of conservation of mass. Dalton’s atomic theory worked and was revolutionary because it was
simple and fundamental.

DALTON’S ATOMIC THEORY:

• Matter is made up of atoms.

• All atoms of a given elements are identical in mass and properties.
• The atoms of a given element are different from those of any other element.
• Compounds are combinations of two or more different types of atoms.
• A chemical reaction is a rearrangement of atoms.

The theory of Dalton failed and the discovery of subatomic particles ,electrons, protons and
neutrons inside the atom was the major reason for the failure of Dalton’s atomic theory. The
discovery of sub-atomic particles suggested that the atoms are divisible. Also, smaller particles
than atom were discovered.