What is a dalton?

Dalton refers to John Dalton (September 6, 1766 – July 27, 1844), an English chemist, physicist, and meteorologist. He is best known for his work on modern atomic theory, and for developing the law of multiple proportions. Dalton was the first to propose that atoms of different elements can combine to form compounds. He also developed the concept of a relative atomic mass, which he used to classify the elements and compounds. Additionally, Dalton was one of the first scientists to study color blindness, from which he experienced, and he was also a prolific writer on scientific subjects. The dalton is also a unit used to measure atomic and molecular masses, formerly known as the atomic mass unit (amu).