Recent reports claiming to have observed textbook d orbitals are analyzed and it is argued that what was observed indirectly, and not for the first time, was actually electron density. It is also suggested that the tendency to use the terms electron density and orbital to mean the same thing will give rise to confusion in chemical education.

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The philosophy of chemistry has been sadly neglected by most contempory literature in the philosophy of science. This paper argues that this neglect has been unfortunate and that there is much to be learned from paying greater philosophical attention to the set of issues defined by the philosophy of chemistry. The potential contribution of this field to such current topics as reduction, laws, explanation, and supervenience is explored, as are possible applications of insights gained by such study to the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of social science.

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