This Very Short Introduction maps the historical development of chemistry from man's earliest exploration in the Stone Age to the nanotechnology of today's materials science. In this succinct but comprehensive overview Brock balances the approaches to - and interpretations of - the subject, revealing chemistry's rich and diverse history.

From man's first exploration of natural materials and their transformations to today's materials science, chemistry has always been the central discipline that underpins both the physical and biological sciences, as well as technology. In this Very Short Introduction, William H Brock traces the unique appeal of this fundamental science throughout history. Covering alchemy, early-modern chemistry, pneumatic chemistry and Lavoisier's re-interpretation of chemical change, the rise of organic and physical chemistry, and the transforming power of synthesis, Brock explores the extraordinary and often puzzling transformations of natural and artificial materials, as well as the men and women who experimented, speculated, and explained matter and change. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Brock manages to make a very dull and dense subject both attractive and interesting - something I could never accuse my old Chemistry teacher of doing.

Autorentext

William H. Brock is Emeritus Professor of History of Science at the University of Leicester. Aside from short spells of teaching in Toronto, Melbourne, and Philadelphia, Brock remained at Leicester for his teaching career, where he became Director of the Victorian Studies Centre. His publications have centred on the history of chemistry, Victorian science education, and the development of scientific periodicals, and include The Case of the Poisonous Socks (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2011).

Inhalt

• Introduction

• 1: On the nature of stuff

• 2: The analysis of stuff

• 3: Gases and atoms

• 4: Types and hexagons

• 5: Reactivity

• 6: Synthesis

• Epilogue