Francesca BellazziMay 56 minThe superpowers of proteins Nowadays we all care about our proteins. Supermarket products proudly show the amount of proteins they contain and we are all somehow...
Marina Paola Banchetti-RobinoApr 155 minBeyond Cartesian Mechanicism: Robert Boyle’s Chemical PhilosophyCentral themes of Marina Paola Banchetti-Robino's book "The Chemical Philosophy of Robert Boyle: Mechanicism, Chymical Atoms, and Emergence"
Alison McManusFeb 148 minWas the Invention of Agent Orange an Invention at All?Agent Orange was born from the knowledge that certain known substances kill plants. But could this knowledge claim constitute an invention?
Jonathon HrickoJan 204 minThe True Story of How a False Theory Led to the Discovery of BoronCan false theories successfully predict previously unknown phenomena? This post discusses one such example: the discovery of boron.
Marabel RiesmeierNov 26, 20215 minUnderstanding chemical substance (is harder than you might think)What is a chemical substance? In this post, Marabel Riesmeier argues that answering this question is more complicated than one might think.
Sarah HijmansNov 9, 20216 minHow to identify simple substances: chlorine vs. oxymuriatic acidHow are simple substances identified when it is difficult to tell whether a substance has been decomposed or not?
Megan PiorkoOct 26, 20213 minCipher Treasure Hunt Part II: A Secret Key Hidden in Plain SightMegan Piorko updates us on the quest to solve a historical cipher. It turns out the secret key was hidden in plain sight...
Megan Piorko & Sarah LangJun 29, 20214 minCipher Treasure HuntIn this post, Megan Piorko and Sarah Lang take us along on their alchemical quest to solve a historical cipher.
Chris CampbellJun 7, 20214 minAre chemical models iconic?Accounts of how diagrams and models represent scientific objects, such as molecules and crystal structures, can be captured under two...
Hernán Accorinti and Juan Camilo Martínez GonzálezApr 9, 20214 minAre chemical models representative?Challenging the traditional theory-centered view, the philosophy of science of the last decades has directed its attention to models.
Alexander FranklinMar 26, 20215 minFrom Molecules to Many WorldsThis essay is about a problem that besets chemists’ explanation of how molecular structure comes about.
Juan Camilo Martínez González & Olimpia LombardiMar 1, 20215 minThe ontological breakdown between molecular chemistry and quantum mechanicsOne of the hottest topics in the philosophy of chemistry is the relationship between chemistry and physics.
Karoliina PulkkinenNov 23, 20204 minCloudbustingConsider the clouds. Then consider those who consider clouds. Cloud-spotters, meteorologists, and atmospheric scientists come to mind....
Sarah HijmansNov 2, 20206 minWho Discovered Aluminium - and why is that such a difficult question?Starting from the history of aluminium, this piece reflects on the nature of scientific discovery.
Katy DuncanOct 19, 20208 minElectrolysis and Education: Learning Models not FactsIn this piece, Katy Duncan explores the seemingly contradictory ways we teach the electrolysis of water to teenagers.
Vanessa SeifertOct 6, 20205 minStrong Emergence in ChemistryThe debate about chemistry’s relation to quantum physics has been a persisting one. Is chemistry reduced to quantum physics or is there...
Sarah HijmansSep 21, 20206 minAndrés Manuel del Rio and the Two Discoveries of VanadiumHow come an element was forgotten for 30 years? This article tells the exciting story of the discovery, loss and rediscovery of vanadium.
Chris CampbellAug 28, 20204 minJosiah Parsons Cooke (1827-1894): the forgotten American precursor to the periodic tableFollowing the 150th anniversary of the periodic table, Chris Campbell highlights the forgotten work of Josiah Parsons Cooke (1827-1894).
Karoliina PulkkinenJul 20, 20204 minWhat’s the point of looking into values in chemistry?In his 1991 book Inference to the Best Explanation, Peter Lipton argued that identification of the best explanation out of a pool of...
Sarah HijmansJul 1, 20204 minThe Short History of (the Element) JargoniumFrom 1869 to 1870, a new element was the object of a heated priority debate. Who deserved to be called the discoverer of jargonium?