Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
Metals
Nonmetals
Fig. 10.4 Atoms and ions as basic particles of matter [
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10.4 Atoms and Ions as Basic Particles of Matter
The periodic system in its shortened form (see Fig.
10.4
) shows some of those
fundamental particles; listing all subgroups of elements would lead to a complete
collection of all fundamental particles of matter. The ancient idea of the Greek
natural philosophers has been finished by having a modular system of smallest
particles to build up all substances in the universe by combination of these particles.
This modular system was foreshadowed when Dalton made the first step by
connecting the term “element” with the term “atom” and claiming as many kinds
of atoms as there are elements. In 1808, he made the following statements about
atoms as smallest basic particles of matter in his topic “A New System of Chemical
Philosophy”:
1. There are as many kinds of atoms as there are elements. They can be distin-
guished from one another by their different masses
2. All atoms of one element have the same mass and behave the same way in the
universe
3. Atoms cannot be created or destroyed nor get lost by chemical reactions
4. The bonding of atoms is reproducible and leads to certain portions of matter
