In chemistry, the law of definite proportions, sometimes called Proust's Law, states that a chemical compound always contains exactly the same proportion of elements by mass. An equivalent statement is the law of constant composition, which states that all samples of a given chemical compound have the same elemental composition by mass. For example, oxygen makes up about 8/9 of the mass of any sample of pure water, while hydrogen makes up the remaining 1/9 of the mass. Along with the law of multiple proportions, the law of definite proportions forms the basis of stoichiometry.
Read more about Law Of Definite Proportions: History, Non-stoichiometric Compounds
Famous quotes containing the words law, definite and/or proportions:
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—Raymond Chandler (1888–1959)
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—For the City of New Orleans, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)