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Ancient Origins
Increased scholarly attention on atomism
1300 - 1399
In the 14th century, the rediscovery of major ancient works describing atomist teachings led to increased scholarly attention on the subject, including Lucretius's De rerum natura and Diogenes Laërtius's Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers.
Pierre Gassendi's modified theory of atoms
1600 - 1699
The French Catholic priest Pierre Gassendi revived Epicurean atomism with modifications, arguing that atoms were created by God and, though extremely numerous, are not infinite in number.
Image source: Atomic theory
Popularization of Gassendi's theory in France and England
1600 - 1699
Gassendi's modified theory of atoms was popularized in France by the physician François Bernier and in England by the natural philosopher Walter Charleton.
Development and Acceptance
Defense and acceptance of atomism by Boyle and Newton
1600 - 1699
The chemist Robert Boyle and the physicist Isaac Newton both defended atomism, and by the end of the 17th century, the idea of an atomistic foundation of nature had become accepted by portions of the scientific community.
Laws of chemical reactions emerge
1775 - 1799
Near the end of the 18th century, two laws about chemical reactions emerged without referring to the notion of an atomic theory.
Dalton's mistaken belief about atoms
1775 - 1799
John Dalton applied the term "atom" to the basic units of mass of the chemical elements under the mistaken belief that chemical atoms are the fundamental particles in nature; it was another century before scientists realized that Dalton's so-called atoms have an underlying structure of their own.
Joseph Proust's law of definite proportions
1797
First established by the French chemist Joseph Proust in 1797, this law states that if a compound is broken down into its constituent chemical elements, then the masses of the constituents will always have the same proportions by weight, regardless of the quantity or source of the original substance.
Image source: Joseph Proust
Flaw in Dalton's theory corrected by Avogadro
1811
The flaw in Dalton's theory was corrected in principle in 1811 by Amedeo Avogadro, who concluded that atoms combine in simple whole-number ratios and proposed that equal volumes of gases at the same temperature and pressure contain equal numbers of molecules.
Image source: Amedeo Avogadro
Periodic table and molecular architecture discovered
1875 - 1899
This position was eventually quashed by two important advancements that happened later in the 19th century: the development of the periodic table and the discovery that molecules have an internal architecture that determines their properties.
Advances in Understanding
Molecular motion explains pressure and heat
1738
In 1738, Swiss physicist and mathematician Daniel Bernoulli postulated that the pressure of gases and heat were both caused by the underlying motion of molecules.
Image source: Daniel Bernoulli
Key Facts
- John Dalton proposed the first modern atomic theory in 1803.
- J.J. Thomson discovered the electron in 1897.
- Ernest Rutherford's gold foil experiment in 1911 led to the discovery of the atomic nucleus.
- Niels Bohr developed the planetary model of the atom in 1913.
- The development of quantum mechanics in the 1920s revolutionized our understanding of atomic structure.
Source
This Atomic Theory timeline was generated with the help of AI using information found on the internet.
We strive to make these timelines as accurate as possible, but occasionally inaccurates slip in. If you notice anything amiss, let us know at [email protected] and we'll correct it for future visitors.
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