molecule: Evolution of Molecular Theory

The terms atom and molecule were used interchangeably until the early 19th cent. Initial experimental work with gases led to what is essentially the modern distinction. J. A. C. Charles and R. Boyle had shown that all gases exhibit the same relationship between a change in temperature or pressure and the corresponding change in volume. J. L. Gay-Lussac had shown that gases always combine in simple whole-number volume proportions and had rediscovered the earlier findings of Charles, which had not been published.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Cannizaro's Compromise
• Avogadro's Hypothesis
• Dalton's Theory
• Evolution of Molecular Theory
• Nature of Molecules

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