Collected Papers on Philosophy of Chemistry

Contents......Page 10
General Introduction to the papers......Page 12
The present volume......Page 15
Section A. Philosophy of Chemistry and the Question of Reduction......Page 17
Section B. Periodic Table, Electronic Configurations and the Elements......Page 23
Section C. Realism and Anti-Realism, and Educational Issues in Philosophy of Chemistry......Page 28
References......Page 31
Section A - Philosophy of Chemistry and the Question of Reduction......Page 33
1. INTRODUCTION......Page 36
2. REDUCTIONISM......Page 38
3. EXPLANATION......Page 43
4. LAWS......Page 44
5. SUPERVENIENCE......Page 47
6. DOES CHEMISTRY SUPERVENE ON PHYSICS?......Page 48
7. LESSONS FOR THE SPECIAL SCIENCES......Page 50
NOTES......Page 51
REFERENCES......Page 53
1. Introduction......Page 56
2.1. The counting argument......Page 58
2.2. Views ofchemists, pre 1923, on the nature of element 7 2......Page 60
3. Bohr’s writings on periodicity and more specifically on element 72......Page 62
4. Conclusion......Page 67
Acknowledgement......Page 69
3 . Has Chemistry Been at Least Approximately Reduced to Quantum Mechanics? in Proceedings of Philosophy of Science Association (PSA) 1994, D. Hull, M. Forbes, and R. Burian (eds.), 160-170, 1994.......Page 70
1. Introduction......Page 71
2. Quantum Chemistry......Page 73
3. Convergence and Error Bounds......Page 75
4. The case of the CH2 molecule......Page 76
5. The Si2C story......Page 77
Notes......Page 79
References......Page 80
1. Introduction......Page 82
2. McLaughlin on British Emergentism and the relationship of chemistry to physics......Page 83
3. Another approach to the Reduction of Chemistry - Le Poidevin......Page 88
4. Further comments on Le Poidevin......Page 94
5. Conclusion......Page 96
References......Page 98
Section B - The Periodic Table, Electronic Configurations and the Nature of the Elements......Page 100
1. HISTORICAL PRELUDE AND THE TREATMENT OF THE PERIODIC SYSTEM AND TABLE IN THE PHILOSOPHICAL LITERATURE......Page 102
2. HETTEMA AND KUIPER’S ATTEMPT TO AXIOMATIZE THE PERIODIC TABLE......Page 104
NOTES......Page 113
REFERENCES......Page 114
THE PERIODIC TABLE AS A PAPER TOOL......Page 117
THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE PERlODIC TABLE AND THE ROLE OF PREDICTlONS......Page 119
PRE-HISTORY OF THE PERIODIC SYSTEM......Page 120
ATOMIC WEIGHTS AND EQUIVALENT WEIGHTS......Page 121
WHY WERE TRIADS DISCOVERED BEFORE HORIZONTAL RELA TI ON SH I PS?......Page 122
GMELIN’S REMARKABLE SYSTEM......Page 123
REPRESENTATION......Page 127
NOTES......Page 129
REFERENCES......Page 130
Realism, Atomic Orbitals, and Chemical Education......Page 132
Has the Modern Periodic System Been Reduced t o Quantum Mechanics?......Page 133
Paneth on Naive Realism and Transcendental Elements......Page 136
Early Element Schemes, Especially the Nineteenth-Century Version......Page 138
Paneth's Own Intermediate Position: Isotopy and the New Element Scheme......Page 142
Replaceability......Page 144
Paneth’s New Element Scheme......Page 145
Conclusion......Page 147
Notes......Page 148
References......Page 151
1. INTRODUCTION......Page 154
2. THE AIM OF THIS WORK......Page 155
3. FIRST AN ELEMENTARY APPROACH......Page 157
4. HOW DOES THIS EXPLAIN THE FORM OF THE PERIODIC TABLE?......Page 158
5. TRANSITION METAL CONFIGURATIONS......Page 159
6. HOW ARE CONFIGURATIONS DERIVED FROM THE THEORY?......Page 160
7. COPPER ATOM......Page 162
8. NICKEL ATOM......Page 164
10. QUALITATIVE EXPLANATION OF PERIODIC TABLE IN TERMS OF ELECTRONS IN SHELLS......Page 166
11. NECESSARY AND SUFFICIENT CONDITIONS......Page 168
12. AB INITIO CALCULATIONS BASED ON WAVEFUNCTIONS......Page 169
13. DENSITY FUNCTIONAL APPROACH......Page 171
14. DENSITY FUNCTIONAL THEORY IN PRACTICE......Page 172
15. CONCLUSION......Page 173
NOTES......Page 174
REFERENCES......Page 176
CORRIGENDUM......Page 178
1. Introduction......Page 179
2. First sense of metaphysics: Elements as unobserv- able substances......Page 181
3. Second sense of metaphysics: Elements as the basic entities of chemistry or its natural kinds......Page 183
4. Convergence of views?......Page 184
5. Putting elements as basic substances to work......Page 185
6. Groups of elements as natural kinds?......Page 186
7. The placement of H and He in the periodic system......Page 187
8. Is there a best form for the Periodic Table?......Page 189
9. Conclusions......Page 192
Notes......Page 194
References......Page 195
Section C - Realism and Anti-Realism, and Educational Issues in Philosophy of Chemistry......Page 198
INTRODUCTION......Page 200
WHAT ROLE FOR CHEMISTRY IN THE SCIENCE WARS?......Page 201
ORIGINS OF CHEMICAL CONSTRUCTIVISM......Page 202
THE “BEFORE AND AnER” TREATMENT......Page 204
RELATIVISM WITH A VENGEANCE......Page 206
WHY THROW OUT THE BABY WITH THE BATHWATER?......Page 207
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?......Page 208
NOTES AND REFERENCES......Page 209
11. The Recently Claimed Observation of Atomic Orbitals and Some Related Philosophical Issues, Proceedings of Philosophy of Science Association (PSA), 2000, N. Koertge (ed.), Philosophy of Science, 68, S76-S88,2001.......Page 211
1. Reports Claiming That Atomic Models Have Been Directly Observed.......Page 212
2. A Brief History of Atomic Orbits and Orbitals.......Page 214
3. The Modern View of Orbitals Among Experts.......Page 215
3.1. Back To the Recent Claims.......Page 216
5. Orbitals and the Question of whether Successful Theories Imply Referring Theoretical Terms.......Page 218
6. Conclusion and the Question of Models.......Page 221
6.1. The Real Crux of the Matter.......Page 223
REFERENCES......Page 224
INTRODUCTION......Page 225
FROM NORMATIVE TO NATURALISTIC......Page 227
FROM NATURALISTIC TO NORMATIVE: THE REDUCTION OF CHEMISTRY......Page 230
CONCLUSION......Page 231
NOTES......Page 232
REFERENCES......Page 233
Index......Page 236