The Story Of Early Chemistry

'The importance of the end in view prompted me to undertake all this work, which seemed to me destined to bring about a revolution in physics and chemistry.' Antoine Lavoisier, 1773 Great advances in human history have often rested on and prompted progress in chemistry. The exploitation of fire, the development of pigments, and the discovery that metals could be smelted and worked laid the foundations of civilization. The search for better tools and weapons drove metallurgy, and the need for medicines and perfumes lay behind the first laboratories. This book traces a story of exploration and discovery, from the earliest applications of chemistry by our ancient forebears. For more than 1,000 years, alchemists pursued the transformation of matter until the advent of modern chemistry in the 17th century set us on the path to the complex science of today. Topics include: • prechemistry since prehistory • alchemy and the transmutation of metals • the rise of the scientific method • identifying the chemical elements • understanding gases • the nature of the atom • organic chemistry • chemical analysis Beautifully illustrated throughout

This classic exposition explores the origins of chemistry, alchemy, early medical chemistry, nature of atmosphere, theory of valency, laws and structure of atomic theory, and much more.

The History of Chemistry describes the principal themes in the development of the subject from the earliest times to the present, and contains biographical sketches of the more important chemists. The first half of the book treats the subject chronologically up to the middle of the nineteenth century, and the second half considers the development of each of the main areas of chemistry since that time. A concluding chapter looks briefly at the chemical industry and the interactions between chemistry and society. The book is illustrated throughout. The last 25 years have seen the appearance of a number of specialist scholarly publications on various aspects of the history of chemistry, but there has been little written by way of an introductory overview of the subject. This book fills that gap. It will appeal to practising chemists as well as students and teachers of chemistry. It will be a valuable source of reference for teachers wishing to treat some topics on the chemistry curriculum from a historical standpoint. It also provides an excellent student text for an undergraduate course on the history of chemistry.

From man's first exploration of natural materials and their transformations to today's materials science, chemistry has always been the central discipline that underpins both the physical and biological sciences, as well as technology. In this Very Short Introduction, William H Brock traces the unique appeal of this fundamental science throughout history. Covering alchemy, early-modern chemistry, pneumatic chemistry and Lavoisier's re-interpretation of chemical change, the rise of organic and physical chemistry, and the transforming power of synthesis, Brock explores the extraordinary and often puzzling transformations of natural and artificial materials, as well as the men and women who experimented, speculated, and explained matter and change. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Presents chemistry as a science in search of an identity, or rather as a science whose identity has changed in response to its relation to society and other disciplines. This book discusses the conceptual, experimental, and technological challenges with wh