Synopses & Reviews
In the early nineteenth century, chemistry emerged in Europe as a truly experimental discipline. What set this process in motion, and how did it evolve? Experimentalization in chemistry was driven by a seemingly innocuous tool: the sign system of chemical formulas invented by the Swedish chemist Jacob Berzelius. By tracing the history of this “paper tool,” the author reveals how chemistry quickly lost its orientation to natural history and became a major productive force in industrial society.
These formulas were not merely a convenient shorthand, but productive tools for creating order amid the chaos of early nineteenth-century organic chemistry. With these formulas, chemists could create a multifaceted world on paper, which they then correlated with experiments and the traces produced in test tubes and flasks.
The authors semiotic approach to the formulas allows her to show in detail how their particular semantic and representational qualities made them especially useful as paper tools for productive application.
Review
"This is a very valuable and stimulating book."American Historical Review
Review
"Experiments, Models, Paper Tools is a clear and compelling account of an important epoch in the history of organic chemistry, as well as a fine demonstration and elaboration of Klein's most fruitful investigation into the special role of systems of representation in the history of chemistry."Annals of Science
Review
"...an original contribution to the history of chemistry and a fascinating book....clearly presented, intellectually stimulating, and a pleasure to read."British Journal of the History of Science
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 279-297) and index.
Synopsis
“This is a very valuable and stimulating book.”—American Historical Review
“[Klein] herself has made a major contribution to the philosophy and the history of chemistry by making clear the existence and the manner of a major but overlooked transformation in organic chemistry. Methodologically and substantively, this is a significant achievement.”—Canadian Journal of History
About the Author
This is a very valuable and stimulating book.”American Historical Review[Klein] herself has made a major contribution to the philosophy and the history of chemistry by making clear the existence and the manner of a major but overlooked transformation in organic chemistry. Methodologically and substantively, this is a significant achievement.”Canadian Journal of HistoryExperiments, Models, Paper Tools is a clear and compelling account of an important epoch in the history of organic chemistry, as well as a fine demonstration and elaboration of Klein’s most fruitful investigation into the special role of systems of representation in the history of chemistry.”Annals of Science...an original contribution to the history of chemistry and a fascinating book....clearly presented, intellectually stimulating, and a pleasure to read.”British Journal of the History of Science
Table of Contents
Semiotics of Berzelian chemical formulas --Two cultures of organic chemistry in the nineteenth century: a structural comparison --Experiments on the periphery of plant chemistry --Paper tools for the construction of interpretive models of chemical reactions --Paper tools for the classification of organic substances --Paper tools for modeling the constitution of organic compounds --Dialectic of tools and goals --Historical tranformation process --Paper tools