Atoms and Alchemy

Atoms and Alchemy PDF Author: William R. Newman
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226577031
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 265

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Book Description
Since the Enlightenment, alchemy has been viewed as a sort of antiscience, disparaged by many historians as a form of lunacy that impeded the development of rational chemistry. But in Atoms and Alchemy, William R. Newman—a historian widely credited for reviving recent interest in alchemy—exposes the speciousness of these views and challenges widely held beliefs about the origins of the Scientific Revolution. Tracing the alchemical roots of Robert Boyle’s famous mechanical philosophy, Newman shows that alchemy contributed to the mechanization of nature, a movement that lay at the very heart of scientific discovery. Boyle and his predecessors—figures like the mysterious medieval Geber or the Lutheran professor Daniel Sennert—provided convincing experimental proof that matter is made up of enduring particles at the microlevel. At the same time, Newman argues that alchemists created the operational criterion of an “atomic” element as the last point of analysis, thereby contributing a key feature to the development of later chemistry. Atomsand Alchemy thus provokes a refreshing debate about the origins of modern science and will be welcomed—and deliberated—by all who are interested in the development of scientific theory and practice.

Atoms and Alchemy

Atoms and Alchemy PDF Author: William R. Newman
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226577031
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 265

Get Book Here

Book Description
Since the Enlightenment, alchemy has been viewed as a sort of antiscience, disparaged by many historians as a form of lunacy that impeded the development of rational chemistry. But in Atoms and Alchemy, William R. Newman—a historian widely credited for reviving recent interest in alchemy—exposes the speciousness of these views and challenges widely held beliefs about the origins of the Scientific Revolution. Tracing the alchemical roots of Robert Boyle’s famous mechanical philosophy, Newman shows that alchemy contributed to the mechanization of nature, a movement that lay at the very heart of scientific discovery. Boyle and his predecessors—figures like the mysterious medieval Geber or the Lutheran professor Daniel Sennert—provided convincing experimental proof that matter is made up of enduring particles at the microlevel. At the same time, Newman argues that alchemists created the operational criterion of an “atomic” element as the last point of analysis, thereby contributing a key feature to the development of later chemistry. Atomsand Alchemy thus provokes a refreshing debate about the origins of modern science and will be welcomed—and deliberated—by all who are interested in the development of scientific theory and practice.

Stellar Alchemy

Stellar Alchemy PDF Author: Michel Cassé
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521821827
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
Table of contents

From Alchemy to Atoms

From Alchemy to Atoms PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Alchemy
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description


Alchemy to Atoms

Alchemy to Atoms PDF Author: Ellsworth Newcomb
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Chemistry
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description


From Alchemy to Atoms: pt. 3. The precursors. pt. 4. The modern alchemists

From Alchemy to Atoms: pt. 3. The precursors. pt. 4. The modern alchemists PDF Author: Interlibrum Buchantiquariat (Vaduz, Liechtenstein)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Chemistry
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description


From Alchemy to Atoms: pt. 1. The alchemist's dream of transmutation. pt. 2. The foundations of modern chemistry

From Alchemy to Atoms: pt. 1. The alchemist's dream of transmutation. pt. 2. The foundations of modern chemistry PDF Author: Interlibrum Buchantiquariat (Vaduz, Liechtenstein)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Chemistry
Languages : en
Pages : 346

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Book Description


Rethinking the Scientific Revolution

Rethinking the Scientific Revolution PDF Author: Margaret J. Osler
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521667906
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
This book challenges the traditional historiography of the Scientific Revolution, probably the single most important unifying concept in the history of science. Usually referring to the period from Copernicus to Newton (roughly 1500 to 1700), the Scientific Revolution is considered to be the central episode in the history of science, the historical moment at which that unique way of looking at the world that we call 'modern science' and its attendant institutions emerged. It has been taken as the terminus a quo of all that followed. Starting with a dialogue between Betty Jo Teeter Dobbs and Richard S. Westfall, whose understanding of the Scientific Revolution differed in important ways, the papers in this volume reconsider canonical figures, their areas of study, and the formation of disciplinary boundaries during this seminal period of European intellectual history.

Transforming Matter

Transforming Matter PDF Author: Trevor H. Levere
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 0801873630
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description
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.

Traveling with the Atom

Traveling with the Atom PDF Author: Glen E Rodgers
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
ISBN: 1788015282
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 584

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Book Description
Traveling with the Atom is a historical travel guide to the development of one of the most significant and enduring ideas in the history of humankind: the atomic concept. This history covers the notable places and landmarks commemorating this achievement, visiting homesteads, graveyards, laboratories, apartments, abbeys and castles, through picturesque rural villages and working class municipalities. From Montreal to Manchester, via some of the most elegant and romantic cities in Europe, Traveling with the Atom guides the reader on a trip through the lives and minds of the great thinkers who collectively unveiled the mystery of the atom. Fully illustrated and interspersed with intriguing and insightful notes throughout, this book is an ideal companion for the wandering scientist, their students, friends and companions or quintessential fireside reading for lovers of science and travel.

Newton the Alchemist

Newton the Alchemist PDF Author: William R. Newman
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691185034
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 568

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Book Description
A book that finally demystifies Newton’s experiments in alchemy When Isaac Newton’s alchemical papers surfaced at a Sotheby’s auction in 1936, the quantity and seeming incoherence of the manuscripts were shocking. No longer the exemplar of Enlightenment rationality, the legendary physicist suddenly became “the last of the magicians.” Newton the Alchemist unlocks the secrets of Newton’s alchemical quest, providing a radically new understanding of the uncommon genius who probed nature at its deepest levels in pursuit of empirical knowledge. In this evocative and superbly written book, William Newman blends in-depth analysis of newly available texts with laboratory replications of Newton’s actual experiments in alchemy. He does not justify Newton’s alchemical research as part of a religious search for God in the physical world, nor does he argue that Newton studied alchemy to learn about gravitational attraction. Newman traces the evolution of Newton’s alchemical ideas and practices over a span of more than three decades, showing how they proved fruitful in diverse scientific fields. A precise experimenter in the realm of “chymistry,” Newton put the riddles of alchemy to the test in his lab. He also used ideas drawn from the alchemical texts to great effect in his optical experimentation. In his hands, alchemy was a tool for attaining the material benefits associated with the philosopher’s stone and an instrument for acquiring scientific knowledge of the most sophisticated kind. Newton the Alchemist provides rare insights into a man who was neither Enlightenment rationalist nor irrational magus, but rather an alchemist who sought through experiment and empiricism to alter nature at its very heart.