Who reconciled Dalton's atomic hypothesis with Gay-Lussac's results on the combination of volumes in 1811?

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1. Background: Gay-Lussac observed that gases combine in simple whole-number volume ratios (e.g., 2:1:2). Dalton's atomic hypothesis dealt with atoms but did not explain why volumes combined in such simple ratios.

2. Avogadro's proposal (1811): Amedeo Avogadro hypothesized that equal volumes of gases, at the same temperature and pressure, contain equal numbers of molecules. This is expressed as Avogadro's law.

3. Reconciliation: Avogadro's idea links volume ratios directly to numbers of molecules. For example, the reaction

$2\mathrm{H}_2 + \mathrm{O}_2 \rightarrow 2\mathrm{H}_2\mathrm{O}$

corresponds to volume ratios $2:1:2$ because it involves 2 molecules of H$_2$, 1 of O$_2$, and 2 of H$_2$O — exactly matching Gay-Lussac's volume observations.

4. Conclusion: The person who reconciled Dalton's atomic hypothesis with Gay-Lussac's results in 1811 was Amedeo (Amedeo/Amadeo) Avogadro.

FINAL_ANSWER: b

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