Dalton John Dalton Career: Chemist
Birth: United Kingdom "Eaglesfield, 6.9.1766 - 27.7
John Dalton is a distinguished English chemist and physicist. Born September 6, 1766, John Dalton is the creator of chemical atomism. In 1803 he established the law of multiple ratios, introduced the concept of atomic weight, and was the first to determine the atomic weights (masses) of a number of elements. He discovered the gas laws named after him. In 1794, he was the first to describe a visual defect that he suffered from, later called color blindness.
John Dalton was born on September 6, 1766 into a poor family in the northern English village of Eaglesfield. At thirteen, he completed his studies at a local school and became a teacher's assistant himself.
In Kendal, in the fall of 1781, he became a teacher of mathematics.
Dalton began his scientific research in 1787 with observations and experimental study of the air. He also studied mathematics, using the rich school library. He began to independently develop new mathematical problems and solutions, and after that he wrote his first scientific works in this area. Four years later, he became the headmaster of the school. During this time, he became close to Dr. Charles Hathon, editor of several magazines for the Royal Military Academy. Dalton became one of the regular contributors to these almanacs. For his contributions to the formation of mathematics and philosophy, he received some high awards. In 1793 he moved to Manchester, where he taught at New College. He brought with him a manuscript "Meteorological observations and sketches. In addition to describing a barometer, thermometer, hygrometer and other instruments and apparatus, Dalton analyzed the processes of cloud formation, evaporation, distribution of atmospheric precipitation, morning north winds and the rest.
In 1794, Dalton became a member of the Literary and Philosophical Society. In 1800 he was elected secretary, in May 1808 - vice president, and from 1817 until the end of his life he was president.
In the fall of 1794, he gave a talk on multicolor blindness. These days we call this peculiar visual defect color blindness.
In 1799, Dalton left New College and became the most expensive private teacher in Manchester. He taught in wealthy families no more than two hours a day, and after that he was engaged in science. Gases and gas mixtures attracted his attentiveness.
Dalton made some fundamental discoveries - the law of uniform expansion of gases when heated (1802), the law of multiple ratios (1803), the phenomenon of polymerization (for example, ethylene and butylene).
On September 6, 1803, Dalton wrote down the first table of atomic weights in his laboratory journal. For the first time he mentioned atomic theory in the report "On the absorption of gases by water and other liquids", read on October 21, 1803 in the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society.
In December 1803 - May 1804, Dalton gave the vector of lectures on relative atomic weights at the Royal Institution in London. Dalton developed the atomic theory in his book - "The New Organization of Chemical Philosophy", published in 1808. In it, he emphasizes two provisions: all chemical reactions are the result of the combination or fission of atoms, all atoms of different elements have different weights.
In 1816, Dalton was elected a Corresponding Member of the Paris Academy of Sciences. The following year, he became president of the Society in Manchester, and in 1818 the British leadership appointed him as a scientific expert on the expedition of Sir John Ross, the one who personally handed the direction to the scientist.
But Dalton stayed in England. He preferred quiet work in the office, not wanting to be scattered about and waste precious time. Research to determine atomic weights continued.
In 1822, Dalton became a Fellow of the Royal Society. Shortly thereafter, he left for France.
In 1826, the British leadership awarded the scientist with a golden order for discoveries in the field of chemistry and physics, and mainly for the creation of atomic theory. Dalton was elected an honorary member of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin, the scientific society in Moscow, the Academy in Munich.
In France, to attest to the recognition of the achievements of the world's outstanding scientists, the Paris Academy of Sciences has elected its honorary council.
In 1832, Dalton was awarded the highest distinction by the University of Oxford. He was awarded the level of Doctor of Laws. Of the naturalists of that time, only Faraday was awarded such an honor.
In 1833 he was given a pension payment. The government's decision was read out at a ceremonial meeting at the University of Cambridge.
Dalton, despite his advanced age, continued to work hard and give reports. However, with the advent of old age, diseases more and more often overcame, it became more and more difficult to act. Dalton died on July 27, 1844.
Also read biographies of famous people:
John Cowdery Kendrew
John Kendrew is an English scientist and biochemist. Born March 24, 1917, John Kendrew was a specialist in male biology, working on a complete ..
John Dalton was born on September 6, 1766 into a poor family in the northern English village of Eaglesfield. At thirteen, he completed his studies at a local school and became a teacher's assistant himself.
In Kendal, in the fall of 1781, he became a teacher of mathematics.
Dalton began his scientific research in 1787 with observations and experimental study of the air. He also studied mathematics, using the rich school library. He began to independently develop new mathematical problems and solutions, and after that he wrote his first scientific works in this area. Four years later, he became the headmaster of the school. During this time, he became close to Dr. Charles Hathon, editor of several magazines for the Royal Military Academy. Dalton became one of the regular contributors to these almanacs. For his contribution to the development of mathematics and philosophy, he received several high awards. In 1793 he moved to Manchester, where he taught at New College. He brought with him a manuscript of "Meteorological observations and sketches. In addition to describing a barometer, thermometer, hygrometer and other instruments and apparatus, Dalton analyzed the processes of cloud formation, evaporation, distribution of atmospheric precipitation, morning north winds and so on.
In 1794, Dalton became a member of the Literary and Philosophical Society. In 1800 he was elected secretary, in May 1808 - vice president, and from 1817 until the end of his life he was president.
In the fall of 1794, he gave a talk on color blindness. Today we call this special visual defect color blindness.
In 1799, Dalton left New College and became the most expensive private teacher in Manchester. He taught in wealthy families for no more than two hours a day, and then studied science. Gases and gas mixtures attracted his attention.
Dalton made several fundamental discoveries - the law of uniform expansion of gases when heated (1802), the law of multiple ratios (1803), the phenomenon of polymer (for example, ethylene and butylene).
On September 6, 1803, Dalton wrote down the first table of atomic weights in his laboratory journal. For the first time he mentioned atomic theory in the report "On the absorption of gases by water and other liquids", read on October 21, 1803 in the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society.
Best of the day
From December 1803 to May 1804, Dalton gave a course of lectures on relative atomic weights at the Royal Institution in London. Dalton developed atomic theory in his book - "A New System of Chemical Philosophy", published in 1808. In it, he emphasizes two points: all chemical reactions are the result of the combination or fission of atoms, all atoms of different elements have different weights.
In 1816, Dalton was elected a Corresponding Member of the Paris Academy of Sciences. The following year, he became president of the Society in Manchester, and in 1818 the British government appointed him as a scientific expert on the expedition of Sir John Ross, who personally handed the appointment to the scientist.
But Dalton stayed in England. He preferred quiet work in his office, not wanting to be scattered about and waste precious time. Research to determine atomic weights continued.
In 1822, Dalton became a Fellow of the Royal Society. Shortly thereafter, he left for France.
In 1826, the British government awarded the scientist with a golden order for discoveries in the field of chemistry and physics, and mainly for the creation of atomic theory. Dalton was elected an honorary member of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin, the scientific society in Moscow, the Academy in Munich.
In France, to attest to the recognition of the achievements of the world's outstanding scientists, the Paris Academy of Sciences has elected its honorary council.
In 1832, Dalton was awarded the highest distinction by the University of Oxford. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws. Of the naturalists of that time, only Faraday was awarded such an honor.
In 1833 he was given a pension. The government's decision was read out at a ceremonial meeting at the University of Cambridge.
Dalton, despite his advanced age, continued to work hard and give reports. However, with the advent of old age, diseases became more and more frequent, and it became more and more difficult to work. Dalton died on July 27, 1844.
John Dalton was born on September 6, 1766 into a poor family in the northern English village of Eaglesfield. From an early age he had to help his parents support the family. At thirteen, he completed his studies at a local school and became a teacher's assistant himself. But the salary was scanty, and John went in search of a better life in Kendal.
Here in the fall of 1781 he became a teacher of mathematics. The room that was assigned to him in the men's boarding house at the school was modestly furnished, but a life full of hardships did not accustom him to extravagance. Moreover, in the new room, the young teacher felt like in a palace. After all, his shelves were full of books. John Dalton now had every opportunity to expand his knowledge, and he read, read, read.
Along with reading, John did not abandon his favorite pastime - constant observation of the weather. The first thing he did was put up a barometer on the wall.
Meteorological observations (the processing of the results of which made it possible to discover gas laws) Dalton was engaged in all his life. With the greatest care, he made daily notes and recorded more than two hundred thousand observations. He made his last entry a few hours before his death.
Dalton began his scientific research in 1787 with observations and experimental study of the air. He also intensively studied mathematics, using the rich school library. Gradually, he began to independently develop new mathematical problems and solutions, and after that he wrote his first scientific works in this area. Dalny, always looking for knowledge, very soon won the respect not only of his colleagues, but also of the citizens of the city of Kendal. Within four years, he became the headmaster of the school. During this time, he became close to Dr. Charles Hathon, editor of several magazines for the Royal Military Academy.
Designed for the general public, they often placed scientific articles on their pages. This was due to the doctor's desire to popularize science. Dalton became one of the regular authors of these almanacs: many of his scientific works were published in them. For his contribution to the development of mathematics and philosophy, he received several high awards. John Dalton's name was already known not only in Kendal. He lectures in Manchester as well. And in 1793 he moved there and taught at New College. Dalton loved his new job. In addition to his college studies, he also gave private lessons, mainly in mathematics.
He brought with him a manuscript of Meteorological Observations and Studies, which delighted the publisher of Pensville. In addition to describing the barometer, thermometer, hygrometer and other devices and apparatus and presenting the results of long-term observations, Dalton skillfully analyzed the processes of cloud formation, evaporation, distribution of atmospheric precipitation, morning northern winds, and so on. The manuscript was immediately published, and the monograph was met with great interest.
A year after arriving in Manchester, Dalton became a member of the Literary and Philosophical Society. He regularly attended all meetings at which members of the Society reported on the results of their research. In 1800 he was elected secretary, in May 1808 - vice president, and from 1817 until the end of his life he was president.
In the fall of 1794, he gave a talk on color blindness. Dalton found that among his students, some cannot distinguish colors at all, and some often confuse them. They saw green as red, or vice versa, but there were some who confused blue and yellow.
Today we call this special visual defect color blindness. In total, Dalton made 119 presentations at the Society.
In 1799, Dalton left New College and became not only the most expensive, but also the most respected private teacher in Manchester. Time was now his. He taught in wealthy families for no more than two hours a day, and then studied science. Gases and gas mixtures attracted his attention more and more. Air is also a gas mixture.
The results of the experiments turned out to be interesting. The pressure of this gas, enclosed in a vessel with a constant volume, remained unchanged. Then Dalton injected the second gas. The resulting mixture had a higher pressure, but it was equal to the sum of the pressures of the two gases.
The pressure of the individual gas remained unchanged.
“From my experiments it follows that the pressure of the gas mixture is equal to the sum of the pressures that the gases possess if they are separately introduced into this vessel under the same conditions. If the pressure of an individual gas in the mixture is called partial, then this pattern can be formulated as follows: the pressure of the gas mixture is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of the gases from which it is composed, - wrote Dalton. - From this you can draw important conclusions! It is clear that the state of the gas in the vessel does not depend on the presence of other gases. This, of course, can be easily explained by their corpuscular structure.
Consequently, the corpuscles or atoms of one gas are evenly distributed between the atoms of another gas, but behave as if there were no other gas in the vessel. "
Continuing the study of gases, Dalton made several more fundamental discoveries - the law of uniform expansion of gases when heated (1802), the law of multiple ratios (1803), the phenomenon of polymerization (for example, ethylene and butylene).
But the scientist was haunted by atoms. What, in essence, is known about them?
If atoms exist, then all properties of substances, all laws should be explained on the basis of atomic theory. This is what chemistry is lacking - a true theory of the structure of matter!
Fascinated by a new idea, Dalton engaged in persistent research. It is necessary, first of all, to get a clear understanding of atoms.
What are their characteristic features? Are the atoms of one element different from the atoms of another? Is there any way, despite the fact that they are negligible and invisible to the naked eye, to establish their weight, shape, dimensions ...
Several years of hard work - and the results were not long in coming. On September 6, 1803, Dalton wrote down the first table of atomic weights in his laboratory journal. He first mentioned atomic theory in a report "On the absorption of gases by water and other liquids", read on October 21, 1803 in the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society:
“All the pre-existing theories of corpuscles agree that these are small identical balls. I believe that the atoms (the smallest indivisible particles) of one element are the same, but differ from the atoms of other elements. If at the moment nothing definite can be said about their sizes, then we can speak about their main physical property: atoms have weight. In support of this, let me read my second work: "The first table of relative weights of finite particles of bodies." An atom cannot be isolated and weighed. If we assume that atoms are connected to each other in the simplest ratios, and analyze complex substances, and then compare the weight percentages of the elements with the weight percentages of the lightest of them, you can get interesting values. These data show how many times the atom of one element is heavier than the atom of the lightest element. Pay attention to the first table of these weights. She is in front of you. The lightest element was hydrogen. This means that its atomic weight should be conventionally taken as a unit ... "
From December 1803 to May 1804, Dalton gave a course of lectures on relative atomic weights at the Royal Institution in London. Dalton developed the atomic theory in his second book, A New System of Chemical Philosophy, published in 1808. In it, he emphasizes two points: all chemical reactions are the result of the combination or fission of atoms, all atoms of different elements have different weights.
At the end of 1809, Dalton went to London, where he met and talked with the largest scientists in England, visited laboratories, and got acquainted with their work. He spoke especially often with Humphrey Davy. The young researcher was overwhelmed with ideas. Dalton got acquainted with the new elements discovered by Davy - potassium and sodium.
Despite the exceptional modesty of character, the scientist's fame grew day by day. It was already talked about outside of England. Dalton's atomic theory interested scientists in Europe. In 1816, Dalton was elected a Corresponding Member of the Paris Academy of Sciences. The following year, he became president of the Society in Manchester, and in 1818 the British government appointed him as a scientific expert on the expedition of Sir John Ross, who personally handed the appointment to the scientist.
But Dalton stayed in England. He preferred quiet work in his office, not wanting to be scattered about and waste precious time. Research to determine atomic weights continued. The results obtained became more and more accurate. New ideas came, interesting assumptions arose, it was necessary to recalculate and correct the results of analyzes of many scientists. Not only British scientists, but also scientists from France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Russia closely followed his achievements.
In 1822, Dalton became a Fellow of the Royal Society. Shortly thereafter, he left for France. Dalton received a warm welcome from academia in Paris. He attended several meetings, read a number of reports, talked with many scientists.
Dalton's great scientific work received universal recognition. In 1826, the British government awarded the scientist with a golden order for discoveries in the field of chemistry and physics, and mainly for the creation of atomic theory. The order was presented at a ceremonial meeting of the Royal Society of London. Sir Humphrey Davy delivered a great speech. In the following years, Dalton was elected an honorary member of the Academy of Sciences in Berlin, the scientific society in Moscow, the Academy in Munich.
In France, to attest to the recognition of the achievements of the world's outstanding scientists, the Paris Academy of Sciences has elected its honorary council. It consisted of eleven of the most famous scientists in Europe. English science was represented by Humphrey Davy. After his death, this place was taken by John Dalton. In 1831, Dalton received an invitation from York to honor the founding assembly of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1832, Dalton was awarded the highest distinction by the University of Oxford. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws. Of the naturalists of that time, only Faraday was awarded such an honor.
And the British government was forced to take an interest in the fate of Dalton. In 1833, he was awarded a pension. The decision of the government was read out at a ceremonial meeting at the University of Cambridge.
Dalton, despite his advanced age, continued to work hard and give reports. However, with the advent of old age, diseases were more and more often overcome, it became more and more difficult to work on July 27, 1844, Dalton died.
Javascript is disabled in your browser.To make calculations, you need to enable ActiveX controls!
World famous John Dalton was a great scientist who achieved a lot in his work in the field of chemistry, physics and meteorology. This person cannot be underestimated, because his works have become fundamental in their field. For example, his theory of the structure of matter was a breakthrough at the time. And such ailment as color blindness is still his legacy and is named "color blindness" in honor of its discoverer. We know the learned husband John precisely from this side of him, but not everyone knows how his life, full of diligence and work, went on, where there was no place for family, love and children.
Childhood
Let's start with the very birth of a genius. John Dalton was born on September 6, 1766 in the small English village of Eaglesfield, which is located in Cumberland. His father was a simple poor weaver named Joseph, while his mother, Deborah, came from a wealthy Quaker family. When John was fifteen, he was already successfully managing the affairs of the Quaker school with his brother. At the age of 21, he began to write in his diary and since then has not stopped entering all of his important observations. As a result, there will be more than 20 thousand entries. The problem for the young man was that the Quaker views absolutely did not allow the education of children in any English educational institution. And although John really wanted to go to law or medical school, he could not do it.
Steps in Science
Only in 1793, John Dalton, whose discoveries played an important role in science, moved to the large city of Manchester. There he began working as a college teacher, where he taught mathematics and philosophy. There his scientific career began. One after another, his works began to appear:
- 1793 - meteorological essays, which became the basis of all his works;
- 1794 - Dalton's earliest work on the human perception of colors; this was the beginning of the theory of color blindness, which John then developed in his works;
- 1800 - John's reasoning about the nature of air and its composition, taking into account atmospheric pressure;
- 1801 - two books are published at once, one of which is devoted to the grammar of the English language, and the second to the law, which will later be named after the scientist;
- 1803 - publishes an article on the determination of atomic weights;
- 1808 - the release of the "New System of Philosophy of Chemistry", where he continues to work on the theory of the atom;
- 1810 - an addition to the book, where he describes in more detail the structure of matter and atomic weight.
Proceedings
John Dalton, whose biography is so important for anyone interested in science, made a lot of discoveries, but two of them are best known to the public. The first means Dalton's law. This is the law of pressure, which these days is very helpful for people working at great depths in the ocean.
The second important discovery was made regarding human perception of colors. At the age of 26, he discovered that he could not distinguish all colors. Having started to study this phenomenon, he came to the discovery of the disease of "color blindness". But it is still called by the name of a scientist and is called "color blindness."
Color blindness
Everyone knows that color blindness is the inability to distinguish colors, but few people know the scientific definition of this disease. The fact is that this ailment is a consequence of a malfunction of the retina of the eye. A special cone is responsible for the function of determining each color. In total, a person has three types, and each is responsible for its own color - blue, red and green. If there is no pigment in one of the cones, then the person cannot distinguish this color. Color blindness can be congenital, or it can begin after suffering an eye disease, such as cataracts. Often this pathology is observed already in childhood. If parents are attentive, they will notice warning signs as early as elementary school, and even earlier. When a child begins to paint objects of the wrong color, you should immediately have his vision and color perception checked by a specialist.
Color blindness treatment
Long ago, physicist John Dalton said that the disease cannot be cured. Scientists are trying to find a way to solve such problems, but all they have learned so far to do is correct color perception with lenses. In the future, it is planned to introduce the missing genes into the retina, but this is still at the experimental stage. It is worth noting that people with such a diagnosis cannot work as public transport drivers, they are not taken into the army in critical areas, they cannot fly an airplane. These people are forced to undergo thorough examinations and are allowed to perform work duties only if there are no contraindications based on the results of the examination.
Achievements
One can talk a lot about the achievements of a scientist, because the contribution of this person can hardly be overestimated. John Dalton, whose discoveries in chemistry, physics and meteorology became the basis for many scientific developments, worked tirelessly for the benefit of science. But at the same time, he did not ignore other areas, such as philosophy and languages. At the age of twenty-eight, he was admitted to the Literary and Philosophical Society in Manchester. This is an honorable society, which included many respected people of that time. And six years later, John took up the post of scientific secretary there. After serving in this position for seventeen years, he eventually became the head of society.
Personal life
As for his personal life, John Dalton never married in his entire life. Not a fan of noisy places and companies, he preferred solitude and the company of good friends, who were mostly Quakers. When he was seventy-one years old, he suffered a heart attack, after which he developed articulation problems. It was difficult for him to speak. Over the next six years, he suffered two more strokes, the second of which was the last.
On July 27, 1844, after another attack, John died alone in the room. His body was found by a maid. She brought the old man tea and saw an already lifeless body on the floor by the bed. Dalton was buried with honors at the Manchester City Hall. After his death, wishing to immortalize the name of the scientist, many of his colleagues in science and their followers began to use the measure "dalton" as the unit of mass of the atom.
An interesting fact is that John Dalton began to work on research on color perception precisely because he discovered this ailment in himself, and this happened only when he was twenty-six years old. What's more, his brothers also had different forms of color blindness. So John found out that the disease can be hereditary.
He himself had a variant of protanop. This word is called a person who does not distinguish between red. If a person cannot distinguish a single color at all, then he is called achromatop. It's funny that humanity owes this discovery to botany. After being carried away by this particular science, John realized that something was wrong with his vision. Considering the varieties of flowers, he noticed that in the presence of pink, red and burgundy buds, he could not find the difference between them. They looked blue to him. At first, those around him thought that John was joking, asking what color this or that object is. But then everything became clear, especially when Dalton developed his theory of perception.
By the way, Dalton is the only scientist to whom a monument was erected during his lifetime. And this was done precisely in the town hall of Manchester, where the scientist was later buried.
DALTON J.
(6.IX.1766 - 27.VII.1844)
John Dalton was born into a poor family, had great modesty and an extraordinary thirst for knowledge. He did not hold any important university position, he was a simple teacher of mathematics and physics at school and college.
Dalton discovered the gas laws of physics, and in chemistry - the law of multiple ratios, compiled the very first table of relative atomic masses and created the first system of chemical signs for simple and complex substances.
John Dalton is an English chemist and physicist, a member of the Royal Society of London (since 1822). Born in Eaglesfield (Cumberland). Educated independently.
In 1781-1793. - teacher of mathematics at a school in Kendal, from 1793 he taught physics and mathematics at New College in Manchester.
Basic scientific research up to 1800-1803 belong to physics, the later ones to chemistry.
Conducted (since 1787) meteorological observations, investigated the color of the sky, the nature of heat, refraction and reflection of light. As a result, he created the theory of evaporation and mixing of gases.
Described (1794) a visual defect called color blind.
Opened three laws, which constituted the essence of his physical atomistics of gas mixtures: partial pressures gases (1801), dependencies gas volume at constant pressure from temperature(1802, regardless of J.L. Gay-Lussac) and dependence solubility gases from their partial pressures(1803) These works led him to the solution of the chemical problem of the ratio of the composition and structure of substances.
Put forward and substantiated (1803-1804) theory of atomic structure, or chemical atomistics, which explained the empirical law of constancy of composition.
Theoretically predicted and discovered (1803) law of multiple relations: if two elements form several compounds, then the masses of one element corresponding to the same mass of the other are referred to as whole numbers.
Compiled (1803) the first table of relative atomic masses hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, sulfur and phosphorus, taking the atomic mass of hydrogen as a unit.
Proposed (1804) chemical sign system for "simple" and "complex" atoms.
Conducted (since 1808) work aimed at clarifying certain provisions and clarifying the essence of the atomistic theory.
Member of many academies of sciences and scientific societies.