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The Avogadro Constant |
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I The Avogadro Constant
Amedeo Avogadro (1776-1856) was an Italian physicists. He proposed in 1811 his famous hypothesis, now known as the Avogadro's law. The law stated that equal volumes of all gases at the same temperature and pressure contain the same number of chemical units. Avogadro distinguished between gases composed of complex units (molecules) and gases made up of simple units (atoms). He was able to calculate atomic and molecular weights from gas densities. Avogadro's hypothesis was not accepted by the leading scientists of his time. His hypothesis was ignored until 1858, when Italian chemist Stanislao Cannizzaro introduced it and developed it further. The Avogadro's Constant is widely known as 6.02 x 1023. Please forward all questions, comments and criticisms to Gregory L. Curran. |
