Table of Contents

Foreword Philip Ball

Introduction Eric R. Scerri

CHAPTER 1: The many questions raised by the dual concept of 'element' Eric R. Scerri
CHAPTER 2: From simple substance to chemical element Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent
CHAPTER 3: Dmitrii Mendeleev's concept of the chemical element prior to the Periodic Law Nathan M. Brooks
CHAPTER 4: Referring to chemical elements and compounds: Colourless airs in late eighteenth century chemical practice Geoffrey Blumenthal, James Ladyman, and Vanessa Seifert
CHAPTER 5: The Changing Relation Between Atomicity and Elementarity: From Lavoisier to Dalton Marina P. Banchetti-Robino
CHAPTER 6: Origins of the Ambiguity of the Current Definition of Chemical Element Joseph E. Earley
CHAPTER 7: The Existence of Elements, and the Elements of Existence Robin F. Hendry
CHAPTER 8: Kant, Cassirer, and the Idea of Chemical Element Farzad Mahootian
CHAPTER 9: The Operational Definition of the Elements: A Philosophical Reappraisal Joachim Schummer
CHAPTER 10: Substance and Function: The case of Chemical Elements Jean-Pierre Llored
CHAPTER 11: Making elements Klaus Ruthenberg
CHAPTER 12: A formal approach to the conceptual development of chemical element Guillermo Restrepo
CHAPTER 13: Chemical Elements and Chemical Substances: Rethinking Paneth's Distinction Sara N. Hjimans
CHAPTER 14: The dual conception of the chemical element: epistemic aspects and implications for chemical education Elena Ghibaudi, Alberto Regis, and Ezio Roletto

Appendix: Reference list on the philosophy of chemistry
Index

About the Author

Eric Scerri is a leading philosopher of science specializing in the history and philosophy of chemistry and especially the periodic table. He is also the founder and editor in chief of the international journal Foundations of Chemistry and has been a full-time lecturer at UCLA for the past twenty years where he regularly teaches classes of 350 chemistry students as well as classes in history and the philosophy of science. Altogether, Scerri has
authored or edited a total of 11 books and over 150 journal articles.

Elena Ghibaudi is a bioinorganic chemist with interest in the philosophy of chemistry and chemical education. She is Assistant Professor within the Department of Chemistry at the University of Torino in Italy, and she teaches classes in general and bioinorganic chemistry, as well as in chemical education. Ghibaudi is the author of several articles in the field of chemical education and the philosophy of chemistry including an influential article on the notion of chemical
element. She is a member of the International Society for the Philosophy of Chemistry.

Reviews

"This work will be of interest especially to philosophers and historians of science and of chemistry, as well as to practicing chemists and students of chemistry." -- R. E. Buntrock, CHOICE
"The essays in this book examine the concept of "element" from a variety of schools of thought, and they should prove interesting and informative to philosophers and historians of science in addition to practicing scientists (especially chemists) with a philosophical bent . . . the authors do a commendable job of illustrating the historical and philosophical points using chemical concepts that should be understandable to anyone who has completed a first-year
undergraduate chemistry course. Similarly, most philosophical concepts used . . . are explained for the benefit of readers trained in natural science but not academic philosophy. The book is thus
suitable for readers with a wide range of interests and academic backgrounds, and will surely stimulate many useful further discussions and debates." -- W. Christopher Boyd, Department of Chemistry, Cleveland State University, Bulletin for the History of Chemistry (American Chemical Society)
"I am not a chemist but I was able to learn from and be challenged by this volume with my interest in philosophy... I think the philosophers of chemistry as represented in this book would benefit from seeing how philosophers without a background in their discipline approach some of the broader questions they try to address. The philosophers in their turn would benefit from some particular knowledge of the sciences and of the work of scientists with a
philosophical turn of mind, such as Scerri. This volume will reward reading by those with a serious interest in both philosophy and in the natural sciences." -- Robin Friedman, Midwest Book Review
"With his pleasing writing style that combines scientific information, historical perspectives and personal reflection, this book will be an ideal starting point for readers new to Eric Scerri. Meanwhile, those more familiar with his scholarship will find enough that is new in this edition to maintain their interest." -- Peter Hodder, Victoria University of Wellington, Chemistry in New Zealand
"This book, therefore, is a must-buy in the context of having a fundamental understanding of this central concept in chemistry... Of all the readers of this review who purchase this book, therefore, it is the chemical educators amongst you who will benefit the most." -- Geoff Rayner-Canham, Memorial University, Corner Brook, NL Canada, Centaurus
"The book...offers a series of wide-ranging and in part innovative scholarly analyses of the subject. The attentive reader will not find a final answer to what an element is, but he or she will better appreciate the complexity and many facets of the question." -- Helge Kragh, Substantia, An International Journal of the History of Chemistry