large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb_113
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_01_asimov_64kb
English
12904
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. 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
oms taken together. The oxygen atom must therefore be sixteen times as massive as a single hydrogen atom. If the atomic weight of hydrogen is 1, then the atomic weight of oxygen is 16. At first it seemed that the atomic weights of the various elements were whole numbers and that hydrogen was the lightest one. It made particular sense, then, to consider the atomic weight of hydrogen as 1, because that made all the other atomic weights as small as possible and therefore easy to handle. The Swedish chemist Jöns Jakob Berzelius (1779-1848) continued Dalton’s work and found that elements did not combine in quite such simple ratios. A given quantity of hydrogen 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. OGETHER THE OXYGEN ATOM MUST THEREFORE BE SIXTEEN TIMES AS MASSIVE AS A SINGLE HYDROGEN ATOM IF THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF HYDROGEN IS ONE THEN THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF OXYGEN IS SIXTEEN AT FIRST IT SEEMED THAT THE ATOMIC WEIGHTS OF THE VARIOUS ELEMENTS WERE WHOLE NUMBERS AND THAT HYDROGEN WAS THE LIGHTEST ONE IT MADE PARTICULAR SENSE THEN TO CONSIDER THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF HYDROGEN AS ONE BECAUSE THAT MADE ALL THE OTHER ATOMIC WEIGHTS AS SMALL AS POSSIBLE AND THEREFORE EASY TO HANDLE THE SWEDISH CHEMIST YAN JAECAB BRAZILIUS SEVENTEEN SEVENTY NINE EIGHTEEN FORTY EIGHT CONTINUED DALTON'S WORK AND FOUND THAT ELEMENTS DID NOT COMBINE IN QUITE SUCH SIMPLE RATIOS A GIVEN QUANTITY OF HYDROGEN 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 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
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