Transforming Matter: A History of Chemistry from Alchemy to the Buckyball (Johns Hopkins Introductory Studies in the History of Science)

Chemistry Explores The Way Atoms Interact, The Constitution Of The Stars, And The Human Genome. Knowledge Of Chemistry Makes It Possible For Us To Manufacture Dyes And Antibiotics, Metallic Alloys, And Other Materials That Contribute To The Necessities And Luxuries Of Human Life. In Transforming Matter, Noted Historian Trevor H. Levere Emphasizes That Understanding The History Of These Developments Helps Us To Appreciate The Achievements Of Generations Of Chemists. Levere Examines The Dynamic Rise Of Chemistry From The Study Of Alchemy In The Seventeenth Century To The Development Of Organic And Inorganic Chemistry In The Age Of Government-funded Research And Corporate Giants. In The Past Two Centuries, He Points Out, The Number Of Known Elements Has Quadrupled. And Because Of Synthesis, Chemistry Has Increasingly Become A Science That Creates Much Of What It Studies. Throughout The Book, Levere Follows A Number Of Recurring Themes: Theories About The Elements, The Need For Classification, The Status Of Chemical Science, And The Relationship Between Practice And Theory. He Illustrates These Themes By Concentrating On Some Of Chemistry's Most Influential And Innovative Practitioners. Transforming Matter Provides An Accessible And Clearly Written Introduction To The History Of Chemistry, Telling The Story Of How The Discipline Has Developed Over The Years--publisher Description. First Steps: From Alchemy To Chemistry? -- Robert Boyle: Chemistry And Experiment -- A German Story: What Burns, And How -- An Enlightened Discipline: Chemistry As Science And Craft -- Different Kinds Of Air -- Theory And Practice: The Tools Of Revolution -- Atoms And Elements -- The Rise Of Organic Chemistry -- Atomic Weights Revisited -- The Birth Of The Teaching-research Laboratory -- Atoms In Space -- Physical Chemistry: A Discipline Comes Of Age -- The Nature Of The Chemical Bond -- Where Now, And Where Next? New Frontiers -- Suggested Further Reading. Trevor H. Levere. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [201]-208) And Index.

Chemistry explores the way atoms interact, the constitution of the stars, and the human genome. Knowledge of chemistry makes it possible for us to manufacture dyes and antibiotics, metallic alloys, and other materials that contribute to the necessities and luxuries of human life. In Transforming Matter, noted historian Trevor H. Levere emphasizes that understanding the history of these developments helps us to appreciate the achievements of generations of chemists.

Levere examines the dynamic rise of chemistry from the study of alchemy in the seventeenth century to the development of organic and inorganic chemistry in the age of government-funded research and corporate giants. In the past two centuries, he points out, the number of known elements has quadrupled. And because of synthesis, chemistry has increasingly become a science that creates much of what it studies.

Throughout the book, Levere follows a number of recurring themes: theories about the elements, the need for classification, the status of chemical science, and the relationship between practice and theory. He illustrates these themes by concentrating on some of chemistry's most influential and innovative practitioners. Transforming Matter provides an accessible and clearly written introduction to the history of chemistry, telling the story of how the discipline has developed over the years.

The Johns Hopkins University Press

Cover......Page 1 Title Page......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 First Steps: From Alchemy to Chemistry?......Page 14 Robert Boyle: Chemistry and Experiment......Page 27 A German Story: What Burns, and How......Page 41 An Enlightened Discipline: Chemistry as Science and Craft......Page 52 Different Kinds of Air......Page 64 Theory and Practice: The Tools of Revolution......Page 79 Atoms and Elements......Page 93 The Rise of Organic Chemistry......Page 107 Atomic Weights Revisited......Page 120 The Birth of the Teaching-Research Laboratory......Page 134 Atoms in Space......Page 149 Physical Chemistry: A Discipline Comes of Age......Page 165 The Nature of the Chemical Bond......Page 178 Where Now, and Where Next? New Frontiers......Page 195 Suggested Further Reading......Page 214 Index......Page 222 In 1980, scientists at the University of California at Berkeley used a particle accelerator to change an unimaginably small sample of bismuth into gold.