Sites of Chemistry in the Nineteenth Century

The three articles in this special issue of Ambix were among the twenty-one papers presented at the conference “Sites of Chemistry in the Nineteenth Century,” held in Valencia at the Institute for the History of Medicine and Science ‘López Piñero’ in July 2012. This meeting was the second of the series of conferences organised as part of the project Sites of Chemistry, 1600–2000, the aim of which was to investigate the wide and diverse range of physical spaces and places where chemistry has been practised from the early modern period to the twentieth century

Viajes a Francia para el estudio de la Química, 1770 y 1833

[email protected] viajes científicos a Francia durante último tercio del siglo XVIII y el primero del siglo XIX son generalmente considerados, por diversas razones, como una importante cuestión en el desarrollo de la ciencia española de ese período. Los viajes científicos de los pensionados y comisionados de la Ilustración suelen estudiarse como un vehículo de transmisión de nuevas ideas científicas. Por el contrario, el exilio de autores afrancesados y liberales suele valorarse negativamente, como una de las causas de la decadencia de la ciencia española del primer tercio del siglo XIX. En este trabajo se pretende ofrecer un marco general para el estudio de estos viajes y presentar algunas de las primeras conclusiones de un análisis comparado de un grupo de biografías de estos viajeros. También se presentan los datos obtenidos del análisis de diferentes fuentes documentales poco conocidas y un esquema de periodificación de estos viajes.Scientific travel during late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century Spain has been regarded as an important issue concerning Spanish science. The large number of Spanish chemistry students who travelled to Paris during the Enlightenment seems to have played a mayor role in the transmission of chemical revolution. On the contrary, early nineteenth century scientific exile is usually considered as on of the major causes of the crisis of Spanish science during the nineteenth century. This paper aims to offer a general framework in order to study these group of scientific travellers and some conclusions of a comparative study of several of these biographies. Moreover, new data gathered in several Spanish and French archives is discussed and, as a result, a periodification is [email protected] [email protected]

Les Col·leccions universitàries d'instruments científics : el cas de la Universitat de València

This paper analyses the value of university collections of scientific instruments, their preservation, uses and improvement. It mostly relies on the data obtained by a research project on the scientific heritage of the University of Valencia

Pedro Gutiérrez Bueno (1745-1822), los libros de texto y los nuevos públicos de la química en el último tercio del siglo XVIII

El presente trabajo se enmarca en un proyecto de investigación acerca del papel de las prácticas y los conocimientos químicos en la transición de la materia médica a la farmacología experimental. Dentro de ese esquema general, el objeto de este artículo es el estudio de los libros de texto destinados a los estudiantes de medicina y de cirugía durante los años finales del siglo XVIII y la primera mitad del siglo XIX. En un estudio anterior, publicado en esta revista nos ocupamos de establecer las coordenadas institucionales generales dentro de las cuales fueron escritas, publicadas y leídas estas obras. Este trabajo es una continuación del anterior y está dedicado al análisis del «Curso de química» de Pedro Gutiérrez Bueno. A través de esta obra, se intenta ofrecer nuevos datos sobre los nuevos públicos de la química a finales del siglo XVIII y su influencia en la estructura y contenidos de los nuevos libros de texto

Education and Textbooks

Education and textbooks have traditionally been standard objects of research in the history of science, technology, and medicine. However, they have often remained marginal in the formulation of large historiographical questions. In the last decades, the work of some historians of science has challenged this state of affairs. STEP has promoted a distinctive focus on education and textbooks, compared to other scholarship cultures such as the Anglo-American. This essay reviews its work in this field and stresses the potential of education and textbooks to produce interdisciplinary research in local, national, and international perspective

Views on the Chemical Revolution (1794-1943): Between History and Memory

Iniciada por los propios protagonistas, desarrollada por los «químicos historiadores» del siglo XIX y engrosada, revisada y completamente reformulada desde la historia, la sociología y la filosofía de la ciencia del siglo XX, la narración de la llamada «revolución química» han dado lugar a uno de los capítulos más ricos y extensos de la historiografía de la ciencia. Como si de la narración de los orígenes de una nación se tratara, los químicos historiadores del siglo XIX hicieron de la revolución química el momento fundacional de su disciplina. La narración mítica del nacimiento de la química fue alimentada con la figura de un héroe fundador víctima de la sinrazón (Lavoisier), acontecimientos cruciales (el descubrimiento del oxígeno, el análisis y la síntesis del agua) y objetos de culto (la balanza). En este artículo, analizaremos cómo surgieron algunas de estas ideas y las prácticas conmemorativas a través de las cuales fueron configuradas y difundidas. El desarrollo de la historia de la ciencia como disciplina académica introdujo nuevos planteamientos, de modo que la tradición histórica de los libros de química y las reconstrucciones realizadas por los historiadores se fueron alejando progresivamente, sin dejar por ello de interaccionar e influirse mutuamente, a menudo desde la falta de comunicación y entendimiento. A través del ejemplo de la revolución química, pretendemos reflexionar sobre las causas y las consecuencias de esta situación, que debe conducir a reflexionar acerca del papel de la historia en la formación de los científicos.Started by those who played a leading role in the events, developed by the chemist-historians of the 19th century and enriched, revised and completely reformulated by the historians, sociologists and philosophers of science of the 20th century, the narration of the so-called “chemical revolution” has given rise to one of the richest and most extensive chapters in the historiography of science. The chemist-historians of the 19th century turned the chemical Revolution into the foundational moment of their discipline, as if it was the narration of the origins of a nation. The mythical narration of the birth of chemistry was enriched by the figure of a founder hero (Lavoisier), a victim of injustice, crucial events (the discovery of oxygen, the analysis and synthesis of water) and cult objects (the scale). In this article, we analyze how some of these ideas arose and the commemorative practices through which they were diffused. The development of the history of science as an academic discipline introduced new approaches, so the historical tradition of chemistry books and the reconstructions carried out by historians drifted progressively apart from each other, although there was still mutual interaction and influence, but often through lack of communication and understanding. Through the example of the chemical revolution, we seek to reflect on the causes and consequences of this situation and the role that history should have in the training of scientists

Viajes a Francia para el estudio de la química, 1770-1833

Scientific travel during late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century Spain has been regarded as an important issue concerning Spanish science. The large number of Spanish chemistry students who travelled to Paris during the Enlightenment seems to have played a mayor role in the transmission of chemical revolution. On the contrary, early nineteenth century scientific exile is usually considered as on of the major causes of the crisis of Spanish science during the nineteenth century. This paper aims to offer a general framework in order to study these group of scientific travellers and some conclusions of a comparative study of several of these biographies. Moreover, new data gathered in several Spanish and French archives is discussed and, as a result, a periodification is suggested.Los viajes científicos a Francia durante último tercio del siglo XVIII y el primero del siglo XIX son generalmente considerados, por diversas razones, como una importante cuestión en el desarrollo de la ciencia española de ese período. Los viajes científicos de los pensionados y comisionados de la Ilustración suelen estudiarse como un vehículo de transmisión de nuevas ideas científicas. Por el contrario, el exilio de autores afrancesados y liberales suele valorarse negativamente, como una de las causas de la decadencia de la ciencia española del primer tercio del siglo XIX. En este trabajo se pretende ofrecer un marco general para el estudio de estos viajes y presentar algunas de las primeras conclusiones de un análisis comparado de un grupo de biografías de estos viajeros. También se presentan los datos obtenidos del análisis de diferentes fuentes documentales poco conocidas y un esquema de periodificación de estos viajes

Influence of lattice symmetry on ultrasound transmission through plates with subwavelength aperture arrays

3 pages, 2 figures, 1 table.We study the transmission of sound waves through aluminum plates perforated with square and triangular hole arrays. We demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally that lattice symmetry affects the position of the Wood anomalies and the width of the transmission peaks. The angle and frequency dependence of sound transmission through perforated plates are thoroughly discussed. Finally, we observe unexpected anisotropic behavior in the long-wavelength Lamb-mode bands of perforated plates.This work has been supported by the Spanish MICINN (Grant Nos. MAT2006-03097 and MAT2007-66050 and NanoLight.es)and the EU (Grant No. NMP4-SL-2008-213669-ENSEMBLE). H.E. acknowledges a CSIC-JAE scholarship.Peer reviewe

Angle-dependent ultrasonic transmission through plates with subwavelength hole arrays

Pdf con material suplementario.We study the angle and frequency dependence of sound transmission through water-immersed perforated aluminum plates. Three types of resonances are found to govern the acoustic properties of the plates: lattice resonances in periodic arrays, Fabry-Perot modes of the hole cavities, and elastic Lamb modes. The last two of them are still present in random arrays and have no parallel in optical transmission through holes. These modes are identified by comparing experiment with various levels of theoretical analysis, including full solution of the elasto-acoustic wave equations. We observe strong mixture of different transmission mechanisms, giving rise to unique acoustic behavior and opening new perspectives for exotic wave phenomena. © 2009 The American Physical SocietyThis work has been supported by the Spanish MCeI (MAT2006-03097, MAT2007-66050, and NanoLight.es) and the EU (NMP4-SL-2008-213669-ENSEMBLE).Peer Reviewe

Influence of the hole filling fraction on the ultrasonic transmission through plates with subwavelength aperture arrays

We report on the large impact of the hole filling fraction on the ultrasonic transmission spectra of periodic subwavelength hole arrays. We demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally that transmission peaks become narrower as the filling fraction decreases. Our results are consistent in plates with different thickness values and provide a route map for the design of plates with tailored acoustic transmission profiles. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewe