John Dalton

John Dalton (6 September 1766 – 27 July 1844) was an English chemist, physicist, and meteorologist. He is best known for introducing the atomic theory into chemistry, and for his research into colour blindness, sometimes referred to as Daltonism in his honour.

Early life

Dalton was born into a Quaker family in Eaglesfield, near Cockermouth, in Cumberland, England. His father was a weaver. He received his early education from his father and from Quaker John Fletcher, who ran a private school in the nearby village of Pardshaw Hall.

Career

Dalton's first publication was Meteorological Observations and Essays (1793), which contained the seeds of several of his later discoveries. However, in spite of the originality of his treatment, little attention was paid to them by other scholars. Dalton's investigations into the nature of gases led to his development of the atomic theory.

Atomic theory

The most important of all Dalton's investigations are concerned with the atomic theory in chemistry. Dalton proceeded to print his first published table of relative atomic weights. Six elements appear in this table, namely hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, sulfur, and phosphorus, with the atom of hydrogen conventionally assumed to weigh 1.

Daltonism

Besides his achievements in atomic theory, Dalton is also known for his studies on colour blindness. His work, "Extraordinary facts relating to the vision of colours", was the first recognized account of red-green colour blindness.

Death and legacy

Dalton died on 27 July 1844 in Manchester. He was a modest and unassuming man, who lived a largely solitary life. Despite this, he was a highly influential figure in the development of modern chemistry.

See also:

• Atomic theory
• Colour blindness
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Meteorology

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