Question

How does the Modern atomic theory contradict and correlate with Dalton's atomic theory?

Answer 1

Contradictions with Modern atomic theory:

	Dalton's atomic theory		Modern atomic theory
(i)	Atoms are indivisible particles.	(i)	Atoms are divisible into sub-atomic particles like protons, electrons and neutrons.
(ii)	Atoms can neither be created nor destroyed.	(ii)	Atoms can be created and destroyed by nuclear fusion and fission.
(iii)	The atoms of an element are alike in all respects, but they differ from the atoms of other elements.	(iii)	The atoms of an element may not be alike in all respects, as is seen in the case of isotopes.
(iv)	Atoms of elements combine in small whole numbers to form molecules.	(iv)	In the formation of organic compounds, the numbers can be very big such as thousands.

Correlation with Modern atomic theory:

However, modern atomic theory correlates with Dalton's atomic theory in that atoms are the smallest unit of matter involved in a chemical reaction, and the relative number and type of atoms in a particular molecule are constant.