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History of Atom
Leucippus and his disciple (Democritus) – Greek philosophers, proposed ideas about what matter were made of. They
believed on the ff:
Nature consisted of two things, “atoms and the void that surrounds them”.
Atoms are physically, but not geometrically, indivisible.
There are many different kinds of atoms and each of them had specific shape and size and that all atoms move
randomly around in space.
Democritus – a Greek philosopher, first to use the term “atomos” (a Greek word meaning indivisible) to describe
the ultimate, indestructible, completely full, no empty space and smallest particles of matter.
John Dalton (1808) – an English chemist was able to provide indirect evidence for the existence of atoms.
Dalton’s ATOMIC THEORY OF MATTER: (based on knowledge at that time)
1. All matter is made of atoms. These indivisible and indestructible objects are the ultimate chemical particles.
2. All the atoms of a given element are identical, in both weight and chemical properties. However, atoms of
different elements have different weights and different chemical properties.
3. Compounds are formed by the combination of different atoms in the ratio of small whole numbers.
4. A chemical reaction involves only the combination, separation, or rearrangement of atoms; atoms are neither
created nor destroyed in the course of ordinary chemical reactions.
TWO MODIFICATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE TO DALTON' S THEORY
1. Subatomic particles were discovered. (Atoms are divisible).
2. Isotopes were discovered. (Atoms of same element are having different mass number).
States of Matter
distinct forms that different phases of matter take on.
A. Solid – have definite shape and volume.
The particles are packed closely together in fixed positions.
The particles are held together by strong forces that’s why particles cannot move around
and they vibrate a little in their fixed positions.
B. Liquid – no definite shape but have definite volume.
The particles move and change positions but not freely as the particles of gases.
The particles are closer to one another
The attraction between particles is stronger than in gas that’s why liquids can flow
out and can be poured into another while maintaining the volume.
Note: Both solid and liquid are incompressible.
C. Gas – no definite shape and volume.
The particles move at random directions very quickly and travel in straight-line
paths. (They collide with one another and with the walls of the container).
They change direction only when they rebound from the collisions.
The distance between particles is large compared to the size of the particles.
The attraction between particles is negligible because of the large distance between them.
Compressibility - the ability of something to be "squashed" into a smaller space.
Gases take the shape of the container because the particles are able to move freely to all parts of the container.
They move freely because they are far apart, lot of empty space and there is negligible attraction between them.