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2: Atoms, Molecules, and Ions

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    44776
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    Atomic theory was invented by the ancient Greek philosophers Leucippus and Democritus, who speculated that the world essentially consists of many tiny indivisible particles, which they called atoms, from the Greek atomon, meaning ``uncuttable.'' the nature of matter The atomic theory of matter, first postulated by John Dalton, is the basis of all modern chemistry. The observations which Dalton's theory explains had in many cases been made long before his formulation of the theory, and it was these observations and empirical relationships which led him to it.


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