THE OBSERVATIONS

THAT LED TO AN ATOMIC

VIEW OF MATTER
 Any model of the composition of matter had to
explain to widespread observations known as the
law of conservation and the law of definite (or
constant) composition.
 An atomic theory developed in the early 19th
century explained these mass laws and another
now known as the law of multiple proportions.
 Law of conservation of mass: the  Lavoisier first stated
total mass of substances does not this law on the basis
change during a chemical reaction. of experiment when
he reacted mercury
 The number of substances may with oxygen.
change and their properties must, Hg + O2 Hg2O
but the total amount of matter
remains constant.

MASS CONSERVATION
 Even in complex biochemical change such as the
metabolism of the sugar glucose, which involves in
many reactions, mass is conserved.
180 g glucose + 192 g oxygen gas 264 g carbon dioxide + 108 g water
371 g material before 372 g material after

 Mass conservation means that, based on all

chemical experienced, matter cannot be created or
destroyed.
  This fact is expressed in the law
of definite (or constant)
 The sodium chloride in composition, which states that
your salt shaker is the no matter what its source, a
same substance whether it
comes from a salt mine, a particular compound is
salt flat, or any other composed of the same elements
source. in the same parts (fractions) by
mass.

DEFINITE COMPOSITION
 The fraction by mass (mass
fraction) is the part of the
 The percent by mass
compound’s mass that each (mass %) is the fraction
element contributes. by mass expressed as a
percentage (multiplied by
mass fraction = mass of element 100).
mass of compounds
 Consider calcium carbonate, the major compound in
seashells, marble, andMasscoral.
Analysis by Mass Fraction Percent by Mass
(grams/20.0 g) (parts/1.00 part) (parts/100 parts)

8.0 g calcium o.40 calcium 40 % calcium

2.4 g carbon 0.12 carbon 12 % carbon

9.6 g oxygen 0.48 oxygen 48 % oxygen

20.0 g 1.00 part by mass 100 % by mass

The mass of each element depends on the mass of the sample,

but the mass fraction is fixed no matter what the size of the
sample.
 The law of definite  Because a given element
composition tells us that
always, constitutes the
pure samples of calcium
same mass fraction of a
carbonate, no matter
given compound.
where they come from,
always contain 40%
calcium, 12% carbon,
and 48% oxygen by
mass.
 Mass of element = mass of compound x part by mass element
one part by mass of compound
OR

 Mass of element (in sample)

= mass of compound (in sample) x mass of element in compound
mass of compound
Sample problem:
Pitchblende is the most
important compound of
uranium. Mass analysis of
an 84.2 g sample shows that
it contains 7.14 g of
uranium, with oxygen the
only other element. How
many grams of uranium are
in 102 kg of pitchblende?
To solve:
 We have to find the mass of
uranium in a known mass
(102 kg) of pitchblende,
given the mass of uranium
(71.4 g) in a different mass of
pitchblende (84.2 g).
 The mass ratio of uranium to
pitchblende is the same for
any sample of pitchblende.
 Solution: Finding the mass (kg) of uranium in 102 kg of pitchblende:
 Mass (kg) of Uranium = mass (kg) of pitchblende x mass (kg) of U in pitchblende
mass (kg) of pitchblende
= 102 kg pitchblende x 71.4 kg Uranium
84.2 kg pitchblende
= 86.5 kg Uranium
Converting the mass of uranium from kg to g:
Mass (g) of Uranium = 86.5 kg Uranium x 1000 g
1 kg
= 8.65 x 104 g Uranium
 Follow –up Problem:
How many metric tons (t) of oxygen are combined in a sample of pitchblende
that contains 2.3 t of uranium?
Solution:
Mass (t) of pitchblende = 2.3 t uranium x 84.2 t pitchblende
71.4 t uranium
= 2.7 t pitchblende
Mass (t) of oxygen = 2.7 t pitchblende x (84.2 – 71.4 t oxygen)
84.2 t pitchblende
= 0.41 t oxygen
 Dalton and others made an observation that
applies when two elements from more than one
compound, now called the law of multiple
proportions: if elements A and B react to form two
compounds, the different masses of B that combine
with a fixed mass of A can be expressed as a ratio
of small whole numbers.

MULTIPLE PROPORTIONS
 Consider two compounds, let’s call them I and II, that carbon and
oxygen form.
 These compounds have very different properties: the density of
carbon oxide I is 1.25 g/L, whereas that of II is 1.98 g/L; I is poisonous
and flammable, but II is not.
Mass analysis shows that
Carbon oxide I is 57.1 mass % oxygen and 42.9 mass % carbon
Carbon oxide II is 72.7 mass % oxygen and 27.3 mass % carbon
 Carbon Oxide I Carbon Oxide II
 To see the phenomenon of
multiple proportions, we use g oxygen/100 g
compound
57.1 72.7

the mass % of O and C to

g carbon/100 g 42.9 27.3
find their masses in a given compound

mass (say 100 g) of each g oxygen / g carbon 57.1/42.9 = 1.33 72.7/27.3 = 2.66

compound. Then we divide

the mass of O by the mass of
C in each compound to
obtain the mass of O that
combines with a fixed mass
of C:
 If we then divide the
grams of oxygen per 2.66 oxygen/g carbon in II = 2
gram of carbon in II by 1.33 g oxygen/g carbon in I 1
that in I, we obtain a
ratio of small whole
numbers:
 The law of multiple proportions tells us that in two
compounds of the same elements, the mass fraction
of one element relative to the other element changes
in increments based on a ratio of small whole
numbers.
 In this case, the ratio is 2/1 – for a given mass of
carbon, compound II contains 2 times as much
oxygen as I, not 1.583 times, 1,716 times, or any
other intermediate amount.