How elements were discovered with rudimentary methods?
Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2023 2:11 pm
Hi,
Sorry for this stupid question, I know little about chemistry, I'm a programmer. My question is very simple, but I have been unable to find a proper answer on internet.
Most elements were discovered hundreds of years ago. I have lots of questions regarding how they could discover all that with simple experiments, such as:
1. How did they know what they had found was an element and not a compound?
2. How they could distinguish between elements such as oxygen and hydrogen? Do they have different colors or properties? How do you know that a gas is an element and not a compound?
3. How did they know that calcium was an element and sault was a compound?
4. How did they know that eg. H had an atomic number of 1 and not another number?
5. How could they know that Potassium chloride was a compound? How they could distinguish this from another substance with the same appearance?
I feel like an idiot, but I really wonder how they could know any stuff related to atom structure with rudimentary methods so many years ago. Looking at Google images for different substances all of them are white and look the same to me, like sault or medicines hahaha. I hope the overall idea about the doubts I have is understood from my question examples.
I appreciate a lot your replies!!! Thaaaanks
Sorry for this stupid question, I know little about chemistry, I'm a programmer. My question is very simple, but I have been unable to find a proper answer on internet.
Most elements were discovered hundreds of years ago. I have lots of questions regarding how they could discover all that with simple experiments, such as:
1. How did they know what they had found was an element and not a compound?
2. How they could distinguish between elements such as oxygen and hydrogen? Do they have different colors or properties? How do you know that a gas is an element and not a compound?
3. How did they know that calcium was an element and sault was a compound?
4. How did they know that eg. H had an atomic number of 1 and not another number?
5. How could they know that Potassium chloride was a compound? How they could distinguish this from another substance with the same appearance?
I feel like an idiot, but I really wonder how they could know any stuff related to atom structure with rudimentary methods so many years ago. Looking at Google images for different substances all of them are white and look the same to me, like sault or medicines hahaha. I hope the overall idea about the doubts I have is understood from my question examples.
I appreciate a lot your replies!!! Thaaaanks