A History Of The Concept Of Valency To 1930

Dr Palmer examines the chronological stages to the development of the concept of valency up to 1930.

The development of the concept of valency has provided one of the major unifying contributions to the growth of chemistry as a science. The study of its history is therefore of the greatest interest to all chemists and historians of chemistry. After 1930, wave mechanics provided a firm theoretical basis for the arbitrary postulates on which conceptions of atomic structure previously rested and this account, which was originally published in 1965, does not go beyond that point. Dr Palmer preserves the historical outlook of the different chronological stages by including extracts from the publications of the most influential scientists, in the nomenclature and terminology of their time; quotations from German are however accompanied by an English translation. Biographical notes and references help to bring alive the personalities of the scientists and to increase the appeal of the book to those who are not professional chemists or historians of science.j

This book provides an historical overview of the recent developments in the history of diverse fields within chemistry. It follows on from Recent Developments in the History of Chemistry, a volume published in 1985. Covering chiefly the last 20 years, the primary aim of Chemical History: Reviews of the Recent Literature is to familiarise newcomers to the history of chemistry with some of the more important developments in the field. Starting with a general introduction and look at the early history of chemistry, subsequent chapters go on to investigate the traditional areas of chemistry (physical, organic, inorganic) alongside analytical chemistry, physical organic chemistry, medical chemistry and biochemistry, and instruments and apparatus. Topics such as industrial chemistry and chemistry in national contexts, whilst not featuring as separate chapters, are woven throughout the content. Each chapter is written by experts and is extensively referenced to the international chemical literature. Chemical History: Reviews of the Recent Literature is also ideal for chemists who wish to become familiar with historical aspects of their work. In addition, it will appeal to a wider audience interested in the history of chemistry, as it draws together historical materials that are widely scattered throughout the chemical literature.

A groundbreaking solution to the problem of induction, based on Ayn Rand's theory of concepts. Inspired by and expanding on a series of lectures presented by Leonard Peikoff, David Harriman presents a fascinating answer to the problem of induction-the epistemological question of how we can know the truth of inductive generalizations. Ayn Rand presented her revolutionary theory of concepts in her book Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology. As Dr. Peikoff subsequently explored the concept of induction, he sought out David Harriman, a physicist who had taught philosophy, for his expert knowledge of the scientific discovery process. Here, Harriman presents the result of a collaboration between scientist and philosopher. Beginning with a detailed discussion of the role of mathematics and experimentation in validating generalizations in physics-looking closely at the reasoning of scientists such as Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Lavoisier, and Maxwell-Harriman skillfully argues that the inductive method used in philosophy is in principle indistinguishable from the method used in physics.

The understanding of electronic behaviour in solids when (some of) the valence electrons have both localized and band-like characteristics is one of the central problems of physics and chemistry in the second half of this century. Many advances have indeed been made using highly sophisticated techniques and concepts. Our objectives in bringing together specialists from different areas was cross-fertilization of ideas and redefinition of bottlenecks and problems. The testimony of the participants and the book which follows indicate a fair degree of success. This book is a record of discussions aimed at digestion and reassessment of some of the recent major advances in our understanding of narrow bands. Note that we expressly asked participants to give a short readable account of the major problems in their field and not to emphasize their latest results to be as "technical" as they might be in a normal scientific article. We did not ask for complete reviews of what was going on in the field and this book should not be read as such. Neither should it be approached as the sort of educational text which the NATO ASI proceedings are supposed to be. We have tried to produce a useable account of a workshop in which an attempt was made to define real problems and to distinguish them from illusory problems.