large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb_168
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb
English
12904
The atomic weight of hydrogen became 1.008. This system was retained for nearly a century and a half. Throughout the 19th century, chemists kept on working out atomic weights more and more carefully. THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF HYDROGEN BECAME ONE POINT ZEROZERO EIGHT THIS SYSTEM WAS RETAINED FOR NEARLY A CENTURY AND A HALF THROUGHOUT THE NINETEENTH CENTURY CHEMISTS KEPT ON WORKING OUT ATOMIC WEIGHTS MORE AND MORE CAREFULLY
actually combined with a little bit less than eight times its mass of oxygen. Therefore if the atomic weight of hydrogen were considered to be 1, the atomic weight of oxygen would have to be not 16, but 15.87. [Illustration: _Jöns Jakob Berzelius_] As it happens, oxygen combines with more elements (and more easily) than hydrogen does. The ratio of its atomic weight to that of other elements is also more often a whole number. In working out the atomic weight of elements it was therefore more convenient to set the atomic weight of oxygen at a whole number than that of hydrogen. Berzelius did this, for instance, in the table of atomic weights he published in 1828. At first he called the atomic weight of oxygen 100. Then he decided to make the atomic weights as small as possible, without allowing any atomic weight to be less than 1. For that reason, he set the atomic weight of oxygen at exactly 16 and in that case, the atomic weight of hydrogen had to be placed just a trifle higher than 1. UALLY COMBINED WITH A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN EIGHT TIMES ITS MASS OF OXYGEN THEREFORE IF THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF HYDROGEN WERE CONSIDERED TO BE ONE THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF OXYGEN WOULD HAVE TO BE NOT SIXTEEN BUT FIFTEEN POINT EIGHT SEVEN AS IT HAPPENS OXYGEN COMBINES WITH MORE ELEMENTS AND MORE EASILY THAN HYDROGEN DOES THE RATIO OF ITS ATOMIC WEIGHT TO THAT OF OTHER ELEMENTS IS ALSO MORE OFTEN A WHOLE NUMBER IN WORKING OUT THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF ELEMENTS IT WAS THEREFORE MORE CONVENIENT TO SET THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF OXYGEN AT A WHOLE NUMBER THAN THAT OF HYDROGEN BRAZILIUS DID THIS FOR INSTANCE IN THE TABLE OF ATOMIC WEIGHTS HE PUBLISHED IN EIGHTEEN TWENTY EIGHT AT FIRST HE CALLED THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF OXYGEN ONE HUNDRED THEN HE DECIDED TO MAKE THE ATOMIC WEIGHTS AS SMALL AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT ALLOWING ANY ATOMIC WEIGHT TO BE LESS THAN ONE FOR THAT REASON HE SET THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF OXYGEN AT EXACTLY SIXTEEN AND IN THAT CASE THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF HYDROGEN HAD TO BE PLACED JUST A TRIFLE HIGHER THAN ONE
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