ATOMS & MOLECULES

BY DR C. R TRIPATHY
(PGT CHEMISTRY)
1)Introduction
2) Dalton's Theory And The Laws Of
Chemical Combination
3) Atoms
4) Molecules and ions
5) Chemical formulae of compounds
6) Molecular mass & formula unit mass
7) The mole concept
INTRODUCTION

As early as the 6th century the Greek

philosophers stated that all matter could
be broken down into four basic
substances: fire, air water and earth.
In the 5th century people pondered further
on the nature of the primitive elements and thought the
there must be things that are still smaller some thing which is
common in every substance this made them think deeper and
discover the presence of ultimate smallest particle the ‘Atom’.
The atoms are so small that they are not
visible by naked eyes. Fire, air, water and
earth also have their individual atoms which
are connected which each other.
After atoms a term for slightly bigger entities
was coined that term is known as molecules.
2. Dalton's Theory And The Laws Of Chemical
Combination
At the end of the nineteenth century,
scientists were able to differentiate
between elements and compounds.
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier and Joseph
Louis Proust gave two laws, explaining
the chemical combinations of elements.
These laws are called the Law of
conservation of mass and the Law of
constant proportion .
2.1. Law of conservation of mass

The law of conservation of mass states

that the mass of a closed system will
remain constant in a chemical reaction.
In other words, mass can neither be
created n or destroyed in a chemical
reaction. This law was first formulated
by Antoine Laurent Lavoisier in 1789.
Activity :- Take some sodium sulphate solution in a conical
flask and some barium chloride solution in an ignition
tube. Hang the ignition tube in the flask by a thread and
pot a cork on the flask. Find the mass of the flask on a
balance. Then tilt the flask. A chemical reaction takes place
and sodium chloride and barium sulphate are formed.
Then find the mass of the flask again. It will be seen that
the sum of the masses of the reactants and products
remain unchanged.
ii) Law of constant proportions :- states that ‘
In a chemical compound the elements are
always present in a definite proportion by mass’.
Eg :- Water ( H2O) always contains two elements
hydrogen and oxygen combined together in the
same ratio of 2:16 or 1:8 by mass. If 9 g of water
is decomposed we get 1 g of hydrogen and 8 g of
oxygen. Ammonia (NH3) always contains two
elements nitrogen and hydrogen combined
together in the same ratio of 14:3 by mass.