The postulates of Dalton Atomic Theory are mentioned below;
• The matter is composed of atoms, and these atoms are the undividable building blocks of matter and thus cannot be destroyed.
Dalton theorized that the law of conservation of mass and the law of definite proportions could be described using the knowledge of atoms.
He proposed that all matter is made of tiny undividable particles which are known as atoms, and he assumed them as solid, hard, impassable, movable particles.
• The properties of all the atoms of an assumed element have the same mass. This can also be defined as the atoms of a given element have identical mass whereas the atoms of different elements have different masses.
Dalton projected that every single atom of an element, for instance, gold, is as same as every other atom of that particular element. He also stated that the atoms of one particular element vary from the atoms of all other elements.
For example; a sodium atom is very different from a given carbon atom. Elements may share few similar properties such as boiling points, melting points, etc. but no two elements can have the same set of exact properties.
• The Compounds are formed through different whole-number combinations of given atoms. In the next part of Dalton atomic theory, he theorized that compounds are the groupings of two or more different types of atoms.
For instance; the compound is table salt or NaCl. Table salt is a mixture of two separate elements the first is sodium which is a highly reactive metal and the second is chlorine which is a toxic gas.
When they react, the given atoms combine in a ratio of 1:1 to form white crystals thus forming table salt.
• A chemical reaction always results in the rearrangement of atoms of a given compound in the reactant and product formed.
In this part of Dalton’s atomic theory, he suggested that chemical reactions don’t terminate or create atoms. They just reorganize the atoms of compounds.
• Atoms of the same element usually combine to form two or more compounds in more than one ratio.
• The atom is thus the tiniest unit of matter and takes part in a different chemical reaction.