BICENTENARY OF JOHN DALTON'S LECTURE ON THE ATOMIC THEORY TO THE MANCHESTER LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY

EDM number 1718 in 2002-03, proposed by Brian Iddon on 18/09/2003.

That this House records the 200th Anniversary of John Dalton's greatest achievement which was his Atomic Theory; notes that this first established clear and quantitative principles to determine the composition of all materials; further notes that his scientific theory was first advanced in an historic address to the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society in 1803; further notes that Dalton's scientific theory marked the end of alchemy and laid 'the great foundation stone of chemical science'; notes that the scientific understanding provided by Dalton paved the way for the discovery and development in the 19th century of the Periodic Table; further notes that chemists still specify the mass of a molecule in 'Daltons' as a unit of measurement; further notes the various events being held to commemorate Dalton's Atomic Theory and the variety of organisations supporting the Dalton Bicentenary including the Royal Society of Chemistry, UMIST, Manchester United FC, the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, and Manchester City Council; further notes the plaque of John Dalton which will be unveiled on 14th October by the Lord Mayor of Manchester; and further notes the unrivalled contribution that the study of chemistry and the chemical sciences have made and continue to make to our understanding of nature, to the quality of life, and to the knowledge economy of the 21st century.

This motion has been signed by a total of 41 MPs.