The revival of atomic theory

• Robert Boyle


  Challenge the aristotelian ideas which had dominated for centuries, asserting that four elements were not fundamental constituents of matter.

  
  

  He argued that these elements were insufficient to explain the diversity of substances in nature.
• Boyle's ideas

  He emphasizd the importance of empirical experimentation over pure philosophical speculation. His rigorous experimental approach was groundbreaking for chemistry and natural philosophy helping to establish the scientific method.
• "The Sceptical Chymist" 


  Boyle provided a modern definition of an element. He described it as a substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means. This definition moves closer to the modern understanding of elements that lead the foundation for future work in chemistry.
• Isaac Newton


  Was a proponent of the idea that matter is composed of atoms. Newton's atomic model combined mechanical principles with philosophical atomism aligning atomic theory with the physics of his time
• Atoms as described by Newton

  Solid, massy, hard, impenetrable particles, of which all material objects are made. These particles were considered indivisible and fundamental to the structure of matter
• In newton's laws of motion and universal gravitation, he proposed that the behavior of atoms followed mechanical laws: atoms move and interacted according to predictable physical principles contributing to the mechanistic view of nature
• In his work on light and optics newton suggested that light might consist of particles analogous to atoms in matter this corpuscular theory of light reflected his belief in the particle like nature of both matter and light