The article begins by asking whether contemporary chemists accept the dual meaning of the term “element” that has been discussed at various stages in the development of chemistry. It proceeds to review the key ideas in the contemporary philosophical debate, including the views of Mendeleev and Paneth and whether a microscopic interpretation of the distinction can be upheld. Regardless of any interpretation, the abstract sense of “element” is then used to resolve the specific question of what elements belong to group 3 of the periodic table. The article concludes with a brief examination of several remaining open questions that need further clarification.
...MoreBook Eric R. Scerri; Elena Ghibaudi (2020) What Is A Chemical Element? A Collection of Essays by Chemists, Philosophers, Historians, and Educators.
Book
Eric R. Scerri;
Elena Ghibaudi;
(2020)
What Is A Chemical Element? A Collection of Essays by Chemists, Philosophers, Historians, and Educators
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Chapter
Bernardette Bensaude-Vincent;
(2020)
From Simple Substance to Chemical Element
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Chapter
Sarah N. Hijmans;
(2020)
Chemical Elements and Chemical Substances: Rethinking Paneth’s Distinction
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Article
John Emsley;
(2019)
The Development of the Periodic Table and its Consequences
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Chapter
Robin Findlay Hendry;
(2020)
The Existence of Elements, and the Elements of Existence
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Chapter
Joseph E. Earley;
(2020)
Origins of the Ambiguity of the Current Definition of Chemical Element
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Chapter
Farzad Mahootian;
(2020)
Kant, Cassirer, and the Idea of Chemical Element
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Article
Juergen Heinrich Maar;
Alexander Maar;
(2019)
The Periodic Table and its Iconicity: an Essay
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Gregory S. Girolami;
(2019)
A Book Collector’s View of the Periodic Table: Before Mendeleev.
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Article
Ann E. Robinson;
(2019)
Order From Confusion: International Chemical Standardization and the Elements, 1947-1990
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Chapter
Elena Ghibaudi;
Alberto Regis;
Ezio Roletto;
(2020)
The Dual Conception of the Chemical Element: Epistemic Aspects and Implications for Chemical Education
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Article
Isabel Malaquias;
João A. B. P. Oliveira;
(2019)
Shaping the Periodic Classification in Portugal through (text)books and charts
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Article
Mary Virginia Orna;
Marco Fontani;
(2019)
Mendeleev's "Family": The Actinides
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Article
Dmitry Pushcharovsky;
(2019)
Dmitry I. Mendeleev and his time
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Chapter
Guillermo Restrepo;
(2020)
A Formal Approach to the Conceptual Development of Chemical Element
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Chapter
Joachim Schummer;
(2020)
The Operational Definition of the Elements: A Philosophical Reappraisal
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Article
Mary Virginia Orna;
(2019)
Mendeleev at Home
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Book
Scerri, Eric R.;
(2007)
Periodic Table: Its Story and Its Significance
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Article
Alfio Zambon;
(2019)
Periodicity Trees in a Secondary Criterion of Periodic Classification: Its Implications for Science Teaching and Communication
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Chapter
Jean-Pierre Llored;
(2020)
Substance and Function: The Case of Chemical Elements
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