A Cultural History of Chemistry in the Eighteenth Century (The Cultural Histories Series)

A Cultural History of Chemistry in the Eighteenth Century covers the period from 1700 to 1815. Setting the progress of science and technology in its cultural context, the volume re-examines the changes that many have considered to constitute a "chemical revolution". Already boasting a laboratory culture open to both manufacturing and commerce, the discipline of chemistry now extended into academies and universities. Chemists studied myriad materials - derived from minerals, plants, and animals - and produced an increasing number of chemical substances such as acids, alkalis, and gases. New textbooks offered opportunities for classifying substances, rethinking old theories and elaborating new ones. By the end of the period – in Europe and across the globe - chemistry now embodied the promise of unifying practice and theory. The six-volume set of the Cultural History of Chemistry presents the first comprehensive history from the Bronze Age to today, covering all forms and aspects of chemistry and its ever-changing social context. The themes covered in each volume are theory and concepts; practice and experiment; laboratories and technology; culture and science; society and environment; trade and industry; learning and institutions; art and representation. Matthew Daniel Eddy is Professor and Chair in the History and Philosophy of Science at Durham University, UK. Ursula Klein is Senior Research Scholar at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Germany. A Cultural History of Chemistry in the Eighteenth Century is the fourth volume in the six-volume set, A Cultural History of Chemistry , also available online as part of Bloomsbury Cultural History, a fully-searchable digital library (see www.bloomsburyculturalhistory.com). General Editors: Peter J. T. Morris, University College London, UK, and Alan Rocke, Case Western Reserve University, USA. A Cultural History of Chemistry in the Eighteenth Century covers the period from 1700 to 1815. Setting the progress of science and technology in its cultural context, the volume re-examines the changes that many have considered to constitute a'chemical revolution'. Already boasting a laboratory culture open to both manufacturing and commerce, the discipline of chemistry now extended into academies and universities. Chemists studied myriad materials - derived from minerals, plants, and animals - and produced an increasing number of chemical substances such as acids, alkalis, and gases. New textbooks offered opportunities for classifying substances, rethinking old theories and elaborating new ones. By the end of the period – in Europe and across the globe - chemistry now embodied the promise of unifying practice and theory. The 6 volume set of the Cultural History of Chemistry presents the first comprehensive history from the Bronze Age to today, covering all forms and aspects of chemistry and its ever-changing social context. The themes covered in each volume are theory and concepts; practice and experiment; laboratories and technology; culture and science; society and environment; trade and industry; learning and institutions; art and representation. Matthew Daniel Eddy is Professor and Chair in the History and Philosophy of Science at Durham University, UK. Ursula Klein is Senior Research Scholar at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Germany. Volume 4 in the Cultural History of Chemistry set.General Editors: Peter J. T. Morris, University College London, UK, and Alan Rocke, Case Western Reserve University, USA. Cover 1 Contents 6 List of Illustrations 8 Series Preface 11 Introduction: The Core Concepts and Cultural Context of Eighteenth-Century Chemistry Ursula Klein and Matthew Daniel Eddy 14 1 Theory and Concepts: Transformations of Chemical Ideas in the Eighteenth Century Ursula Klein 36 2 Practice and Experiment: Operations, Skills, and Experience in Eighteenth-Century Chemistry Victor D. Boantza 58 3 Laboratories and Technology Marco Beretta 84 4 Culture and Science: Chemistry in its Golden Age Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent 106 5 Society and Environment: Chemistry and Daily Life during the Eighteenth Century Matthew Daniel Eddy 126 6 Trade and Industry: An Era of New Chemical Industries and Technologies Leslie Tomory 150 7 Learning and Institutions: Didactic Chemistry and Practical Instruction John C. Powers 170 8 Art and Representation: Cultural Modalities of Chemistry in the Eighteenth Century John R.R. Christie 188 Notes 216 Bibliography 219 List of Contributors 242 Index 243 "A Cultural History of Chemistry in Antiquity covers the period from 3000 BCE to 600 CE, ranging across the civilizations of the Mediterranean and Near East. Over this long period, chemical artisans, recipes, and ideas were exchanged between Mesopotamia, Egypt, Phoenicia, Greece, Rome, and Byzantium. The flowering of alchemy in the Middle and Early Modern Ages had its roots in the chemical arts of antiquity. This study presents the first synthesis of this epoch, examining the centrality of intense exchange and interconnectivity to the discovery and development of sources, techniques, materials, and instruments"-- The volume set of the Cultural History of Chemistry presents the first comprehensive history from the Bronze Age to today, covering all forms and aspects of chemistry and its ever-changing social context. The themes covered in each volume and theory and concepts ; practice and experiment ; laboratories and technology ; culture and science ; society and enviroment ; trade and industry ; learning and institutions ; art and representation