Dalton, John (dôl`tən), 1766–1844, English scientist. He revived the atomic theory (see atom atom [Gr.,=uncuttable (indivisible)], basic unit of matter ; more properly, the smallest unit of a chemical element having the properties of that element.
..... Click the link for more information. ), which he formulated in the first volume of his New System of Chemical Philosophy (2 vol., 1808–27). He had already applied the concept to a table of atomic weights (1803), in a paper (1805) on the absorption of gases, and in developing his famous law of partial pressures, known also as Dalton's law Dalton's law [for John Dalton ], physical law that states that the total pressure exerted by a homogeneous mixture of gases is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of the individual gases.
..... Click the link for more information. . His interest in weather conditions led him to keep daily records from 1787 and to write Meteorological Observations and Essays (1793). Dalton, himself afflicted with color blindness, investigated (c.1794) the condition, known also as Daltonism. From 1793 he taught mathematics and physical sciences at New College, Manchester. He was a member of the Royal Society (from 1822) and in 1825 received its medal for his work on the atomic theory.
(born Sept. 5 or 6, 1766, Eaglesfield, Cumberland, Eng.—died July 27, 1844, Manchester) British chemist and physicist. He spent most of his life in private teaching and research. His work on gases led him to state Dalton's law (see gas laws). He devised a system of chemical symbols, ascertained the relative weights of atoms, and arranged them into a table. His masterpiece of synthesis was the atomic theory—the theory that each element is composed of tiny, indestructible particles called atoms that are all alike and have the same atomic weight—which elevated chemistry to a quantitative science. He was also the first to describe colour blindness (1794), and his lifelong meteorological journal contains more than 200,000 observations. He is remembered as one of the fathers of modern physical science.
Structure of the Atom
..... Click the link for more information. ), which he formulated in the first volume of his New System of Chemical Philosophy (2 vol., 1808–27). He had already applied the concept to a table of atomic weights (1803), in a paper (1805) on the absorption of gases, and in developing his famous law of partial pressures, known also as Dalton's law Dalton's law [for John Dalton ], physical law that states that the total pressure exerted by a homogeneous mixture of gases is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of the individual gases.
..... Click the link for more information. . His interest in weather conditions led him to keep daily records from 1787 and to write Meteorological Observations and Essays (1793). Dalton, himself afflicted with color blindness, investigated (c.1794) the condition, known also as Daltonism. From 1793 he taught mathematics and physical sciences at New College, Manchester. He was a member of the Royal Society (from 1822) and in 1825 received its medal for his work on the atomic theory.
Bibliography
See study by A. Thackray (1972).
Dalton, John
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John Dalton, detail of an engraving by W. Worthington, after a portrait by William Allen, 1814.
(credit: Courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum; photograph, J.R. Freeman & Co. Ltd.)
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