Development of the Atom .pptVIP

Development of the Atom Development of the Atom World of ChemistryThe Annenberg Film Series The Hellenic Market In fourth century B.C., ancient Greeks proposed that matter consisted of fundamental particles called atoms. Over the next two millennia, major advances in chemistry were achieved by alchemists. Their major goal was to convert certain elements into others by a process called transmutation. The GreeksHistory of the Atom Not the history of atom, but the idea of the atom In 400 B.C the Greeks tried to understand matter (chemicals) and broke them down into earth, wind, fire, and air. Democritus and Leucippus Greek philosophers Greek Model Greek philosopher Idea of ‘democracy’ Idea of ‘atomos’ Atomos = ‘indivisible’ ‘Atom’ is derived No experiments to support idea Continuous vs. discontinuous theory of matter Democritus Mental Experiment – Atoms Exist Looked at beach Made of sand Cut sand - smaller sand Four Element Theory Plato was an atomist Thought all matter was composed of 4 elements: Earth (cool, heavy) Water (wet) Fire (hot) Air (light) Ether (close to heaven) Some Early Ideas on Matter Who Was Right? Greek society was slave based Beneath famous to work with hands did not experiment Greeks settled disagreements by argument Aristotle was more famous He won! His ideas carried through middle ages. Alchemists change lead to gold Alchemy After that chemistry was ruled by alchemy. They believed that that could take any cheap metals and turn them into gold. Alchemists were almost like magicians. elixirs, physical immortality Alchemy Early Ideas on Elements Robert Boyle stated... A substance was an element unless it could be broken down to two or more simpler substances. Air therefore could not be an element because it could be broken down in to many pure substances. ? Beginnings of modern chemistry were seen in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, where great advances were made in metallurgy, the extraction of metals from o