Chemistry, a lingua philosophica

Abstract

We analyze the connections of Lavoisier system of nomenclature with Leibniz's philosophy, pointing out to the resemblance between what we call Leibnizian and Lavoisian programs. We argue that Lavoisier's contribution to chemistry is something more subtle, in so doing we show that the system of nomenclature leads to an algebraic system of chemical sets. We show how Döbereiner and Mendeleev were able to develop this algebraic system and to find new interesting properties for it. We pointed out the resemblances between Leibniz program and Lavoisier legacy, particularly regarding the lingua philosophica for understanding and thinking Nature, in this particular case, chemistry. In the second part we discuss, from the linguistic viewpoint, how Lavoisian algebraic system may be taken further to build a language. We study the constituents of such a chemical language. Finally, we formalize some of the ideas here presented by using elements of network theory and discrete mathematics.

Analysing symbolic expressions in secondary school chemistry: their functions and implications for pedagogy

“…That is, teachers need to lay an emphasis on the functions when offering instructions on the complex convention of symbolism (and other forms of technical representation). It is reported that educators have recently attempted to help young students to familiarise themselves with symbolism by comparing it with natural language (e.g., Goodney, 2006;Restrepo and Villaveces, 2011;Cadeddu et al, 2014). This comparison can be productive, because Berzelian notations had a linguistic origin.…”