1. Atoms and molecules

Chemistry depends on these two ideas, which accelerated huge inventions in these fields.

1. Everything in this universe is made of matter.
 
2. Atoms are the simplest particles of an element that cannot be broken down in a chemical reaction.

Ancient Indian and Greek philosophers (around \(750\)BC – 150BC) have always wondered about the unknown and unseen form of matter. The idea of divisibility of matter was considered long back in India, around \(500\)BC.

Around the same period, ancient Greek philosophers – Democritus and Leucippus suggested that, if we go on dividing particle, at a particular stage, the particles cannot be divided further. Democritus called these indivisible particles 'atoms' (meaning indivisible).

 

But all these ideas were based on philosophical considerations, and not much experimental work to validate them until the eighteenth century.

 

After the eighteenth century, people dwell in this field to find and prove the unanswered questions.

 

 

Modern scientists have experimented that atoms can be divided into small parts, such as electron, proton, and neutron.

 

 

We will learn about this particle in higher classes. In this chapter, we will look into atoms and molecules.