Dalton's Atomic Theory

Dalton’s atomic theory was a scientific theory on the nature of

matter put forward by the English physicist and chemist John
Dalton in the year 1808.
In 1808, Dalton published ‘A New System of Chemical Philosophy’,
in which he proposed the following :

Main postulates :

● All matter is composed of extremely small particles called

atoms.
● Atoms of a given element are identical in size, mass, and
other properties. Atoms of different elements differ in size,
mass, and other properties.
● Atoms cannot be subdivided, created, or destroyed.
● Atoms of different elements can combine in simple whole
number ratios to form chemical compounds.
● In chemical reactions, atoms are combined, separated, or
rearranged.

Limitations :

● It does not account for subatomic particles: Dalton’s atomic

theory stated that atoms were indivisible. However, the
discovery of subatomic particles (such as protons, electrons,
and neutrons) disproved this postulate.
● It does not account for isotopes: As per Dalton’s atomic theory,
all atoms of an element have identical masses and densities.
However, different isotopes of elements have different atomic
masses (Example: hydrogen, deuterium, and tritium).
● It does not account for isobars: This theory states that the

masses of the atoms of two different elements must differ.

However, it is possible for two different elements to share the
same mass number. Such atoms are called isobars (Example:
40Ar and 40Ca).
● Elements need not combine in simple, whole-number ratios to

form compounds: Certain complex organic compounds do not

feature simple ratios of constituent atoms. Example:
sugar/sucrose (C11H22O11).
● The theory does not account for allotropes: The differences in
the properties of diamond and graphite, both of which contain
only carbon, cannot be explained by Dalton’s atomic theory.