Elements and (first) principles in chemistry

Hendry, Robin Findlay

doi:10.1007/s11229-019-02312-8

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Whereas this interpretation has been supported by some authors [18] , others adopt a physicalist view of the abstractness leaving aside any metaphysical connotation of the term. [42] An interesting and little-known definition provided by Robert Luft (1997) appeals to the old sense:…”

Section: The Teaching Of the Concept 'Chemical Element': Building Bri...mentioning

confidence: 99%

For a Dialogue Between the Teaching of Chemistry and the History and Philosophy of Chemistry: the Case of the Concept of ‘Chemical Element’

Mocellin,

Labarca

2024

Substantia

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The concept of ‘element’ is one of the most important concepts in the chemical sciences. It plays a key role to explain the chemical reactions and the basis of the periodic table. It is also central to the modern philosophy of chemistry because of its role in discussions about the nature of the periodic system and natural classes. In the field of chemistry teaching it is a paradigmatic case of alternative conceptions. In general, two definitions of ‘chemical element’ coexist. The first, due to Lavoisier, conceptualizes an ‘element’ in a macroscopic ontology and the second, usually considered the ‘modern’ definition, conceptualizes an element in an ontology of particle. Some authors state that it is time to consider the former conceptualization as merely ‘historical’ and focus teaching on the basis of the most recent definition. The present paper aims to address this problem from a pluralist perspective by highlighting the pedagogical relevance of incorporating historical-philosophical analyses in the explanation of scientific concepts.

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Section: The Teaching Of the Concept 'Chemical Element': Building Bri...mentioning

confidence: 99%

For a Dialogue Between the Teaching of Chemistry and the History and Philosophy of Chemistry: the Case of the Concept of ‘Chemical Element’

Mocellin,

Labarca

2024

Substantia

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“…Modern chemistry gives qualified support to atomism on the first question. Elements are regarded as surviving in their compounds, an assumption that has underwritten a research programme into the composition of substances since before Lavoisier (see Hendry, 2021b). Yet chemical combination between elements is more than a mere juxtaposition of their atoms.…”

Section: Existence and Composition In Chemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure, essence and existence in chemistry

Hendry

2023

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Philosophers have often debated the truth of microstructural essentialism about chemical substances: whether or not the structure of a chemical substance at the molecular scale is what makes it the substance it is. Oddly they have tended to pursue this debate without identifying what a structure is, and with some confusion and about what a chemical substance is. In this paper I draw on chemistry to rectify those omissions, providing a pluralist account of structure, clarifying what (according to chemistry) a chemical substance is and defending microstructural essentialism, as I understand that position. I then give an account of the existence of composite substances and objects in chemistry, an issue that goes back to Aristotle.

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“…During the eighteenth century, the broadly Aristotelian view of elements as metaphysical principles was gradually replaced by the idea that the constituents of matter were actually present in compounds and could be isolated as the products of chemical decomposition (see Hendry 2019).…”

Section: Analogy Composition and Elements In Nineteenth-century Chemi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Analogy and Composition in Early Nineteenth-Century Chemistry The Case of Aluminium

Hijmans

2022

Euro Jnl Phil Sci

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Around fifteen years before the chemical substance alumina (aluminium oxide) could be decomposed in the laboratory, it was identified as a compound and predicted to contain a new element called 'aluminium'. Using this episode from early nineteenth-century chemistry as a case study for the use of analogical reasoning in science, this paper examines how chemists relied on chemical classifications for the prediction of aluminium. I argue that chemists supplemented direct evidence of chemical decomposition with analogical inferences in order to evaluate the composition of substances. Since they were established on the basis of relevant similarities in chemical properties, classifications were taken to reflect so-called 'chemical analogies' between substances. In combination with the knowledge that analogous properties indicated similarities in composition, this enabled chemists to infer the composition of experimentally indecomposable substances by analogy. The trust in such analogical inferences, even if they could not be confirmed through experiment, was justified by pragmatic considerations. Whereas the possibility of decomposing a substance depended on the available laboratory techniques, chemical analogies were thought to last independently of internal composition. It was therefore more practical to keep well-established classes of substances together rather than separate them on the basis of experimental results that might evolve as new techniques were developed. Besides highlighting the links between analogical reasoning and classification, this paper also illustrates the importance of analogy in the evaluation of elementary nature in the early nineteenth century.

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Elements and (first) principles in chemistry

Cited by 6 publications

References 27 publications

For a Dialogue Between the Teaching of Chemistry and the History and Philosophy of Chemistry: the Case of the Concept of ‘Chemical Element’

For a Dialogue Between the Teaching of Chemistry and the History and Philosophy of Chemistry: the Case of the Concept of ‘Chemical Element’

Structure, essence and existence in chemistry

Analogy and Composition in Early Nineteenth-Century Chemistry The Case of Aluminium

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