Dalton - Definition and Overview

Unit of mass

The dalton (symbol Da) is the immediate predecessor of the atomic mass unit. It is named after John Dalton in recognition of his achievement in introducing the atomic hypothesis into chemistry. Whereas the unified atomic mass unit is defined as 1/12 of the mass of a single atom of ¹²C, the dalton was defined as 1/16 of the mass of an atom of oxygen (which turned out to be a mixture of ¹⁶O, ¹⁷O and ¹⁸O in a 3150:1:5 ratio with mean atomic mass number of 16,0035).

Placename

Dalton is also a placename in the United Kingdom:

• Dalton, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
• Dalton, Lancashire, England
• Dalton, Hexham, Northumberland, England
• Dalton, Ponteland, Northumberland, England
• Dalton, Sowerby, North Yorkshire, England
• Dalton, Richmond, North Yorkshire, England
• Dalton, South Yorkshire, England

Also: Dalton in Furness, Cumbria, England

Dalton is also a placename in the United States of America:

• Dalton, Georgia
• Dalton, Massachusetts
• Dalton, Minnesota
• Dalton, Missouri
• Dalton, Nebraska
• Dalton, New Hampshire
• Dalton, New York
• Dalton, Ohio
• Dalton, Pennsylvania
• The Dalton Trail is an old Tlingit trail, whereas the Dalton Highway is a road through Alaska.

Surname

Notable people whose surname is or was Dalton (with entries in Wikipedia):

• Dalton, Emmett (1861-1937), U.S. outlaw, member of the Dalton Gang
• Dalton, Hugh, Baron Dalton (1887-1962), British politician
• Dalton, John (1766-1844), British physicist and chemist
• Dalton, John M. (1900-1972), U.S. politician
• Dalton, John N. (1931-1986), U.S. politician
• Dalton, Jon, U.S. wrestler ("Jonny Fairplay")
• Dalton, Richard (born 1979), Canadian canoeist
• Dalton, Rick, Canadian politician
• Dalton, Timothy (born 1946), Welsh actor
• Dalton, Tristram (1738-1817), U.S. politician
• Dalton, Walter H., U.S. politician

Other uses

• Dalton's law of partial pressure, named after John Dalton
• DALTON, a computer program in quantum chemistry, named after John Dalton
• The Dalton Plan, an educational concept
• The Dalton School, a private school in New York City, New York
• The Dalton Gang, an infamous outlaw group in the old West
• The fictional Dalton Brothers, cousins of the Dalton Gang in the Lucky Luke comic books