Interviews conducted with Eric Scerri at the Chemical Heritage Foundation on the Periodic Table Part 1
Interviews conducted with Eric Scerri at the Chemical Heritage Foundation on the Periodic Table Part 2
This book contains key articles by Eric Scerri, the leading authority on the history and philosophy of the periodic table of the elements and the author of a best-selling book on the subject. The articles explore a range of topics such as the historical evolution of the periodic system as well as its philosophical status and its relationship to modern quantum physics. This volume contains some in-depth research papers from journals in history and philosophy of science, as well as quantum chemistry. Other articles are from more accessible magazines like American Scientist. The author has also provided an extensive new introduction in order to integrate this work covering a period of two decades. This must-have publication is completely unique as there is nothing of this form currently available on the market.
Sample Chapter(s)
Chapter 1: Introduction (660 KB)
Contents:
- Chemistry, Spectroscopy, and the Question of Reduction
- The Electronic Configuration Model, Quantum Mechanics and Reduction
- The Periodic Table and the Electron
- How Good is the Quantum Mechanical Explanation of the Periodic System?
- Prediction and the Periodic Table
- Löwdin's Remarks on the Aufbau Principle and a Philosopher's View of Ab Initio Quantum Chemistry
- Mendeleev's Legacy
- The Role of Triads in the Evolution of the Periodic Table: Past and Present
- The Past and Future of the Periodic Table
- The Dual Sense of the Term “Elements”, Attempts to Derive the Madelung Rule, and the Optimal Form of the Periodic Table, If Any
Readership: Academic readers: philosophers and science historians, science educators, chemists and physicists.
“Selected Papers
demonstrates how an author's perceptions of a single topic have materialized historically … The Selected Papers
confirms that this is still an active research area and is a worthy addition to a library of materials on the periodic table. The publication adds significantly to the historical and philosophical dimensions of the topic.”
Kevin C de Berg
Avondale College, Australia
“It bundles some of his most brilliant papers into one volume, and it provides the reader with a thorough overview of Scerri's cutting edge research on the periodic table. Scerri has tackled all of these periodic table related problems by approaching them both scientifically, historically and philosophically. Every chemist, philosopher and educator with an interest in the periodic table of chemical elements should definitely add a copy of this volume to his personal library!”
Foundations of Chemistry
“The volumes will certainly serve as a source for future history of the philosophy of chemistry, and, in particular, the history and philosophy of quantum chemistry.”
Metascience