Article ID: CBB001210470

From Physical Chemistry to Quantum Chemistry: How Chemists Dealt with Mathematics (2012)

unapi

Gavroglu, Kostas (Author)
Simões, Ana I. (Author)


Hyle
Volume: 18
Pages: 45--69


Publication Date: 2012
Edition Details: Part of a special issue, “Chemistry and Mathematics, Part 1”.
Language: English

Discussing the relationship of mathematics to chemistry is closely related to the emergence of physical chemistry and of quantum chemistry. We argue that, perhaps, the most significant issue that the `mathematization of chemistry' has historically raised is not so much methodological, as it is philosophical: the discussion over the ontological status of theoretical entities which were introduced in the process. A systematic study of such an approach to the mathematization of chemistry may, perhaps, contribute to the realist/antirealist debate. To this end, in this paper we briefly discuss Lewis' introduction of fugacity and activity to his chemical thermodynamics and more fully analyze the issues surrounding the appropriation of resonance by Linus Pauling into quantum chemistry, particularly as these issues arose in organic chemistry as discussed by George W. Wheland.

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Article Restrepo, Guillermo; Schummer, Joachim (2012) Editorial Introduction. Hyle (p. 1). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001210470/

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Authors & Contributors
Simões, Ana I.
Gavroglu, Kostas
Shintaro Furuya
De Berg, Kevin
James, Jeremiah
Servos, John W.
Concepts
Chemistry
Quantum chemistry
Physical chemistry
Physics
Mathematics
Mathematics and its relationship to science
Time Periods
20th century
19th century
20th century, late
20th century, early
Places
Germany
United States
Great Britain
Institutions
California Institute of Technology
University of California, Berkeley
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT
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