Dalton was an English chemist, physician, and meteorologist.
He was one of the few people, who assisted in the creation of the atomic theory and structure of modern science. His atomic theory was a distinguished work which is recognized by many. His theories provided a background for others to examine and compare how the theories relate to the atom. Without these theories, others after him could not have discovered the other properties of the atom. Some may disagree, stating that Dalton was not the individual who originally formed the atomic theory. The may argue that Democritus was the most imperative person, since he was the one who stated that, “everything is composed of atoms.” For this may be true, Democritus merely stated this theory as a philosophical idea, while Dalton actually had done research to prove his claim. Dalton had done experiments, such as studying the different properties of water, to develop the atomic
theories. The theories that Dalton proposed were all relevant to the atom. The first theory that Dalton stated, was that “all matter is composed of extremely small particles called atoms.” His second theory was that “atoms of a given element are identical in size, mass, and other properties,” and vice versa. His third theory explains that “atoms cannot be subdivided, created, or destroyed.” His fourth theory declares that, “atoms of different elements combine in simple whole number ratios to form chemical compounds.” Finally, his last theory states that “in chemical reactions, atoms are combined, separated, or rearranged.” All these theories have their own purpose in clarifying the atom and its properties. It is true that there are some theories that have been modified to fit the modern science ideology, but back then, some of the research could not have been done due to the lack of equipment. The theory that have been altered, was the second theory. The theory had been altered to state that “atoms of a given element have a characteristic average mass which is unique to that element.” Another theory that had been changed was third theory that changed to, “atoms cannot be subdivided, created or destroyed in ordinary chemical reactions, but can change in a nuclear reaction.” Dalton could not have known that nuclear reactions can change thee atom, since the first man-made nuclear reaction was initiated on December 2, 1942; therefore, could not have been known in Dalton’s time, which is the late 1700s and late 1800s. The theories were not correct; however, they were a pivotal advance in chemistry. Not only did Dalton formulate the atomic theories, but he had done other research that shows how much of a hard worker he is. Dalton did research about color blindness that led to the term “Daltonism.” He had produced an atomic model that is set as a basis for other physicians. Dalton formed the “billiard model” model which is showing that atoms cannot be divided into smaller pieces. The model may not show the actual structure of an atom, but it generates an idea of how it may look. There were numerous experiments that have led to the discovery of other atomic components. Near the end of the 18th century, Dalton had developed a law, called the” Law of Multiple Proportions.” This law expresses that “if two elements can be combined to form various compounds, then the ratios of the second masses, which is combined with the mass of the first element, will be ratios of the small whole numbers.” This law affirms that the atom is the basic building block of matter. Without Dalton, other discoveries may not have been potential. Dalton’s law is the basis that allowed others to build up on the atom and led them to their findings. By having a general idea about the atom, physicians such as Rutherford discovering the proton, J.J Thomson and his discovery of the electron, and James Chadwick discovery the neutron. Their models built up the structure of the atom and could not have been done so, if not for the atomic theory and the billiard ball model. Dalton is most known for his atomic theories. They may not have been entirely correct, but they were still significant to the atomic field. Dalton clearly made atoms significantly useful, by having others understand the atom and its complex characteristics. Not only that, Dalton had listed the atomic weights of all the known elements of that time. The chart is the first to ever have the atomic weights written down. As mentioned before, Dalton had done experiments with water. He believed that the atomic theories could explain the reason as to why water absorbed different gases at certain proportions. Dalton analyzed the reaction and hypothesized that all these was caused by the mass and the complexity of the element. This is a reason why people believed that it hints the existence of atoms. In the end, there are many individuals who uncovered the secrets of the atom. There are still many properties that are unknown about the atom. The atom is a wondrous particle that may take decades to reveal all of its qualities. Dalton is merely one of the few who had uncovered part of the atoms’ secrets, but the discoveries had led to even more successful ones. Without the theories and prototype model he had made, the modern atom will not have been plausible.