John Dalton's atomic theory revolutionized our understanding of matter at the atomic level. This summary explores key concepts including the structure of atoms, subatomic particles, isotopes, and natural abundance.
- Dalton proposed that all elements are made of indivisible atoms
- Atoms of the same element are identical but differ from other elements
- Chemical reactions involve rearrangement of atoms
- The nuclear model describes the atom's structure with a dense nucleus
- Subatomic particles include negatively charged electrons, positively charged protons, and neutral neutrons
- Isotopes are atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons
- The atomic number is the number of protons, while the mass number is protons plus neutrons