Kaji Masanori - Early Responses to the Periodic System

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Early responses to the periodic system / edited By Masanori Kaji, Helge Kragh, and Gbor Pall.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 9780190200077
eISBN 9780190200091
1. Periodic table of the elements. 2. Periodic law. 3. Chemical elements. 4. ChemistryHistory19th century. I Kaji, Masanori, 1956 editor.
II. Kragh, Helge, 1944 editor. III. Pall, Gbor, editor.
QD467.E27 2015
346.8dc23
2014028840

Masanori Kaji and Nathan Brooks

Gisela Boeck

Gordon Woods

Bernadette Bensaude Vincent and Antonio Garca Belmar

Soa trbov

Anders Lundgren

Helge Kragh

Annette Lykknes

Jos Ramn Bertomeu-Snchez and Rosa Muoz-Bello

Isabel Malaquias

Marco Ciardi and Marco Taddia

Masanori Kaji

Although a great number of historians have studied Mendeleevs discovery of the periodic system of chemical elements, few have looked at how the scientific community has perceived and employed this system in various areas of the world. This book fills this gap. In addition, for the evaluation of the periodic system, this book looks not only at scientific communities, but also at the educational sector and local popular culture.

The idea of a comparative project on the early reception of the periodic system occurred to one of the editors (Masanori Kaji) during the 6th Science and Technology in the European Periphery (STEP) meeting in Istanbul in June, 2008.

He engaged historians of chemistry and organized sessions devoted to this project at international conferences: the 7th International Conference on the History of Chemistry (Sopron, Hungary, August 25, 2009); the 7th STEP meeting (Galway, Ireland, June 1720, 2010); and the 4th International Conference of the European Society for the History of Science (Barcelona, Spain, November 1820, 2010). After these meetings, the following fifteen participants were brought together for this project, accounting for eleven countries and one region:

Gisela Boeck (Germany), Nathan Brooks (Russia), Marco Ciardi (Italy), Antonio Garca Belmar (France), Masanori Kaji (Russia and Japan), Helge Kragh (Denmark), Anders Lundgren (Sweden), Annette Lykknes (Norway), Isabel Malaquias (Portugal), Rosa Muoz Bello (Spain), Jos Ramn Bertomeu Snchez (Spain), Soa trbov (the Czech Lands), Marco Taddia (Italy), Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent (France), and Gordon Woods (Great Britain).

These individuals all agreed to contribute papers to a collective work, and Masanori Kaji, Helge Kragh, and Gbor Pall agreed to serve as the editors. This book is important, not only for the obvious audience of historians of chemistry, but also for the larger community of historians of science and ideas and for the much larger community of chemists. Moreover, it contributes significantly to the history of pedagogy and popularization in science. It reexamines various concepts in reception studies other than reception, such as response and appropriation. It also offers new arguments in the philosophical debate of the impact of scientific discoveries.

Masanori Kaji

Helge Kragh

Gbor Pall

Gestated under the warm sunny skies in Istanbul, this idea materialized into a book project thanks to many colleagues who are also interested in the history of chemistry. The contributors and editors, especially Masanori Kaji, wish to express special thanks to Brigitte Van Tiggelen, Carsten Reinhardt, William Brock, Michael Gordin, and Eric Scerri, who were of immense help during the various stages of the project.

Masanori Kaji

Helge Kragh

Gbor Pall

Antonio Garca Belmar

Universidad de Alicante

Antonio Garca Belmar teaches history of science at the University of Alicante (Spain). His research interests include history of science teaching and learning and the making scientific expertise in modern Spain.

Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent

Universit de Paris 1/IUF

Bernadette Bensaude Vincent is Professor of Philosophy of Science and Technology at Universit Paris 1-Panthon-Sorbonne. She has published extensively on the history of chemistry and is currently working on more materials science and nanotechnology.

Jos Ramn Bertomeu-Snchez

Institut dHistria de la Medicina i de la Cincia Lpez Piero

Jos Ramn Bertomeu-Snchez is Senior Lecturer at the University of Valencia and member of the Institute for the History of Medicine and Science. His research areas include history of science education, material culture of science, and nineteenth-century forensic medicine. His most recent book is La verdad sobre el caso Lafarge: Ciencia, justicia y ley durante el siglo XIX (El Serbal, 2014).

Gisela Boeck

University of Rostock

Gisela Boeck is Associate Professor at the Rostock University, Institute of Chemistry. Her research interests include pedagogy, didactics, and history of chemistry. She is the author of several textbooks in General Chemistry.

Nathan Brooks

New Mexico State University

Nathan M. Brooks is Associate Professor of History at New Mexico State University, where he teaches courses in Russian and Soviet history, the history of science, and world history. His research interests include the history of chemistry and technology in Russia and the Soviet Union.

Marco Ciardi

University of Bologna, Italy

Marco Ciardi is Professor of History of Science at the University of Bologna. He has authored, co-authored, or edited 30 volumes and more than 100 scientific articles. He has written extensively on Amedeo Avogadro and the History of Chemistry in Italy, including Amedeo Avogadro (2006), Reazioni Tricolori. Aspetti della chimica italiana nellet del Risorgimento (2010), and Avogadro 1811 (2011).

Masanori Kaji

Tokyo Institute of Technology

Masanori Kaji is Professor of the History of Science at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. His research interests include history of chemistry in Russian and in Japan and environmental history. He is the author of