more on this theme     |     more from this text


Single Idea 17465

[filed under theme 26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / f. Ancient elements ]

Full Idea

Four types of earth found a place on Lavoisier's list of elements.

Gist of Idea

Lavoisier's elements included four types of earth

Source

Weisberg/Needham/Hendry (Philosophy of Chemistry [2011], 1.2)

Book Ref

'Stanford Online Encyclopaedia of Philosophy', ed/tr. Stanford University [plato.stanford.edu], p.6


A Reaction

A nice intermediate point between the ancient Greek and the modern view of earth.


The 11 ideas from Weisberg/Needham/Hendry

Lavoisier's elements included four types of earth [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]
Mendeleev systematised the elements, and also gave an account of their nature [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]
Isotopes (such as those of hydrogen) can vary in their rates of chemical reaction [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]
Over 100,000,000 compounds have been discovered or synthesised [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]
Water molecules dissociate, and form large polymers, explaining its properties [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]
'H2O' just gives the element proportions, not the microstructure [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]
Using mechanisms as explanatory schemes began in chemistry [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]
Thick mechanisms map whole reactions, and thin mechanism chart the steps [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]
It is unlikely that chemistry will ever be reduced to physics [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]
Quantum theory won't tell us which structure a set of atoms will form [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]
For temperature to be mean kinetic energy, a state of equilibrium is also required [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]