View source for Law of definite proportions

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The '''law of definite proportions''', also known as the '''law of constant composition''', is a chemical law that says that a [[chemical compound]] will always have the same elemental composition, that is that it will always contain the same [[chemical element]]s in the same proportions. It has been variously called '''Proust's law''', '''Richter's law''' and '''Wenzel's law''', as the priority of discovery is somewhat confused, but it was [[Joseph Proust|Proust]] who stated it most clearly and defended it against its critics (notably [[Claude Berthollet|Berthollet]]). It was extended by [[John Dalton|Dalton]] in 1803 in his [[law of multiple proportions]], and the two are often combined in modern discussions.

==Debate on priority of discovery==

==See also==
*[[Jeremias Benjamin Richter]]

==Notes and references==
===Notes===
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===References===
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==External links==
{{wikipedia|Law of definite proportions}}

[[Category:Amount of substance]]

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