Constructing Modern Chemistry

A history of chemical atomic theory that centers on France and Jean-Baptiste Dumas, yielding new perspectives on the origins of modern chemistry.Constructing Modern Chemistry examines the early history of the chemical atomic theory, focusing on France. Rather than beginning with John Dalton and the theory of the atom, skipping right to the periodic system, and rushing headlong into the discovery of subatomic particles, Alan J. Rocke traces relevant ideas and practices from their origins in Britain shortly after 1800 to their early reception in France. Then he addresses their history, especially among French and Francophone chemists (including connections to Britain, Sweden, and the German-speaking lands), up until about 1860. The major figure in the book is the curiously understudied but extraordinarily influential Jean-Baptiste Dumas (1800–1884). The atomic theory is to the history of chemistry what Copernican cosmology is to the history of astronomy, what Newtonian mechanics is to the history of physics, and what evolution is to the history of biology: each of these ideas structures the very nature of scientific thought within its field. Constructing Modern Chemistry explores the changing nature of chemical theory, and of scientific theory in general, during the nineteenth century. Rocke sets out to show that the early history of chemical atomism provides important insight into theoretical patterns that became characteristic of the modern science of chemistry. But while Rocke’s work will appeal to philosophers and others who value his analysis of theory and its workings, he places equal emphasis on social context: personal backstories, interpersonal relations, cultural and scientific institutions, and contingent events. The history that emerges is rich with insight into the origins of chemistry and its practices as we know it.