Philosophy of chemistry
The philosophy of chemistry is a branch of the philosophy of science that deals with philosophical questions relating to chemistry . The philosophy of science was predominantly dominated by the philosophy of physics , but with increasing philosophical problems in chemistry, the philosophy of chemistry received increasing attention in the last years of the 20th century. The philosophy of chemistry is practiced by philosophers and chemists, often in cooperation with one another. Outside of philosophy, the philosophy of chemistry deals specifically with chemistry didactics .
Basics of chemistry
Important philosophical questions arise when trying to define chemistry and what chemistry studies. Atoms and molecules are often considered to be the basic units of chemical theory, but traditional descriptions of molecular structure and chemical bonding do not take into account the properties of many substances, including the metals and metal complexes, and aromaticity .
Some chemists and philosophers of chemistry prefer to consider substances rather than microstructures as the basic units of investigation of chemistry. There is not always a clear correspondence between the two methods of classifying substances. For example, many rocks exist as mineral complexes made up of several ions that do not exist in fixed proportions or spatial relationships.
A similar philosophical problem is whether chemistry studies substances or reactions. Even in a solid, the atoms are in constant motion and, under the right conditions, many chemicals react spontaneously to form new products. A variety of variables contribute to the properties of a substance, including temperature and pressure, proximity to other molecules, and the presence of a magnetic field. Schummer puts it this way: "Substance philosophers define a chemical reaction by changing certain substances, while process philosophers define a substance through its characteristic chemical reactions."
Philosophers of Chemistry
Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling was one of the first philosophers to use the phrase “philosophy of chemistry”.
Several philosophers and scientists have studied the philosophy of chemistry in recent years, notably the Dutch philosopher Jaap van Brakel , who wrote The Philosophy of Chemistry in 2000 , and the Malta- born philosopher and chemist Eric Scerri , editor of the Foundations of Chemistry journal and author of Normative and Descriptive Philosophy of Science and the Role of Chemistry in Philosophy of Chemistry , published January 1, 2008. Scerri is particularly interested in the philosophical foundations of the periodic table and how physics and chemistry overlap in relation to it. In his opinion, this topic is not just a question of science, but of philosophy.
Web links
- Philosophy of Chemistry Article from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Joachim Schummer: Philosophy of Chemistry . In: Donald M. Borchert (Ed.): Encyclopedia of philosophy, second edition . Macmillan, 2006, pp. 19–39 ( joachimschummer.net [PDF]).
- ↑ a b c D. Ebbing, S. Gammon: General chemistry . Ninth edition. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, Massachusetts 2009 ( aceondo.net [PDF]).
- ^ A b D. Pavia, G. Lampman, G. Kriz: Organic chemistry . Volume 1. Cenage Learning, Mason, Ohio 2004.
- ^ Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling: Ideas for a philosophy of nature as an introduction to the study of this science . Second book. In: Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling: Works . Volume 1. Leipzig 1907, p. 353–368 ( zeno.org - first edition: 1803).
- ↑ Eric R. Scerri: Collected Papers on Philosophy of Chemistry . Imperial College Press, London 2008, ISBN 978-1-84816-137-5 .