Chemistry: A Historical Perspective

1. The Ancients
   • Fire and Stone
   • Metals
   • Greek "Elements"
   • Greek "Atoms"
2. Alchemy
   • Alexandria
   • The Arabs
   • Rivival in Europe
   • The End of Alchemy
3. Transition
   • Measurement
   • Boyle's Law
   • The New View of Elements
   • Phlogiston
4. The Gases
   • Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen
   • Hydrogen and Oxygen
   • The Triumph of Measurement
   • Combustion
5. Atoms
   • Proust's Law
   • Dalton's Theory
   • Avogadro's Hypothesis
   • Weights and Symbols
   • Electrolysis
6. Organic Chemistry
   • The Breakdown of Vitalism
   • The Building Blocks of Life
   • Isomers and Radicals
7. Molecular Structure
   • The Theory of Types
   • Valence
   • Structural Formulas
   • Optical Isomers
   • Molecules in Three Dimensions
8. The Periodic Table
   • Elements in Disorder
   • Organizing the Elements
   • Filling the Gaps
   • New Elements by Groups
9. Physical Chemistry
   • Heat
   • Chemical Thermodynamics
   • Catalysis
   • Ionic Dissociation
   • More on Gases
10. Synthetic Organic Chemistry
    • Dyes
    • Drugs
    • Proteins
    • Explosives
    • Polymers
11. Inorganic Chemistry
    • The New Metallurgy
    • Nitrogen and Fluorine
    • Inorganic-Organic Boundary
12. Electrons
    • Cathode Rays
    • The Photoelectric Effect
    • Radioactivity
13. The Nuclear Atom
    • Atomic Number
    • Electron Shells
    • Resonance
    • Half-Life
    • Isotopes
14. Nuclear Reactions
    • The New Transmutation
    • Artificial Radioactivity
    • Transuranium Elements
    • Nuclear Bombs

The Elements: History Of Discovery