Chemistry Question 54 – NEET-UG 2025
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Dalton's Atomic Theory proposed that matter is composed of indivisible atoms, atoms of a given element are identical, atoms combine in simple whole-number ratios to form compounds, and chemical reactions involve the rearrangement of atoms.
Dalton's theory successfully explained the Law of Conservation of Mass (atoms are conserved), the Law of Constant Proportions (atoms combine in fixed ratios), and the Law of Multiple Proportions (atoms combine in different simple whole-number ratios to form different compounds).
These three laws are directly supported by the idea of atoms combining in fixed, whole-number ratios.
Dalton's Atomic Theory could not explain Gay-Lussac's Law of Gaseous Volumes, which states that when gases react, they do so in volumes that bear a simple whole-number ratio to one another and to the volumes of the gaseous products. Dalton's theory did not consider the volumes of reacting gases or the relationship between the number of particles and volume. This law was later explained by Avogadro's hypothesis.
Remember that Avogadro's hypothesis (equal volumes of gases contain equal numbers of molecules) was crucial for explaining Gay-Lussac's Law, a concept not addressed by Dalton.