Question

Dalton suggested that atoms were indestructible and unchangeable to explain:
(A) Why mass is conserved in chemical reactions.
(B) Why elements combine in fixed weight ratios to form compounds.
(C) Why elements are characterized by the mass of their atoms.
(D) Why compounds combine in fixed weight ratios in chemical reactions.

Answer 1

Hint: Atom of an element cannot be created nor be destroyed, or be divided into smaller pieces. They cannot be altered into atoms of another element. According to the hypothesis of Dalton, atoms were indestructible and unchangeable.

Complete answer:
- Atoms are the fundamental piece of matter. It is composed of three tiny subatomic particles. They are known as protons, neutrons, and electrons.
- Atoms are not alive or dead. They are not complex chemical systems and cannot evolve or self-replicate.
-As per Dalton’s atomic theory, all matter was strictly composed of indivisible building blocks, atoms.
- Atoms of different elements unite in simple whole number ratios to form chemical compounds. Although, in a chemical reaction, atoms are combined, separated, or even rearranged.

The answer to the Question is (B) Why elements combine in fixed weight ratios to form compounds.

Additional information: An adult human is made up of around 7 octillion atoms. They are extremely small particles, making it impossible to observe them under a light microscope.

Note: Atoms are the basic unit of matter. It has never existed to be alive, so can never be dead. Atoms of an element are identical in mass, size and other properties but differ with different elements.