The History of Chemistry

I've written a series of pieces documenting the history of chemistry on Medium.

They cover topics ranging from alchemy to the grandeur that is Dmitri Mendeleev's beard (he is responsible for building chemistry's most famous table). As always, my goal is to make chemistry interesting and entertaining. Take a look...

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What you didn’t know about alchemistsAlchemy gets a bad rap. In this article, I explain to you why alchemists shouldn’t be dismissed as occultish.

The First Chemist — Handsome Robby BRobert Boyle is considered by most to be the first to attempt to reconcile alchemy (practical chemistry) and natural philosophy (theory).

Phlogiston, Calx, and Other Weird, Old WordsWords like phlogiston and calx sound like gibberish now, but they were extraordinarily important in the fledgling science of chemistry.

The Four Classical Chemical ElementsThe OG chemists theorized that everything was made from four elements — a theory that would last for 2000 years.

The Hot Air Boiz, Part IThis article discusses the history and science behind the discovery of oxygen, aka “dephlogisticated air.”

The Hot Air Boiz, Part IIThis article explores the discovery of hydrogen and carbon dioxide in the late 1600s in Britain by Joseph Black and Henry Cavendish.

The Black Card of the 18th Century — hear me outThis article discusses a similar yet more nerdy symbol of exclusivity from the 1700s.

The Story of the Hugh Hefner of ChemistryThis man brought chemistry out of the dark ages in spectacular fashion.

The 2 Reactions of the Chemical RevolutionAntoine Lavoisier (aka the Hugh Hefner of chemistry) meticulously performed these two reactions and brought chemistry out of the dark ages.

The Dawn of the AtomDiscovering something that wouldn’t be directly observed for another 200+ years was difficult. Here’s how the atom came to be.

The Jock Strap of Atomic TheoryEverybody needs support every now and then. The same was true for atomic theory in the early days.

Potassium and Sodium: Electrocution and ExplosionsThe risk of electrocution and explosion wasn’t enough to deter Humphry Davy from discovering potassium, sodium, and others.

Reviewing for the mid-termFrom antiquity to phlogiston to Hugh Hefner (of chemistry) to electrocution, let’s walk through what we’ve covered so far.

A Rough Start for Organic Chemistry (pre-med students: I promise this won’t hurt)Organic chemistry theory got off to a rough start when discovery after discovery necessitated many changes in theory.

Looking to inspire your students? Sleep at the lab!Justus von Liebig was not just master of organic analysis, he also ran the most successful graduate lab in the world in the 19th century.

Mmm, Sausage: Solving the Conundrum of CarbonBelieve it or not, sausages were used to visually depict how carbon combines with 4 other atoms.

Critical Mass and Chemistry’s Most Famous Number1858–1860 was a very important time for chemistry: it marked the end of confusion over atomic weights.

The Chemistry MentalistAgreement on atomic weights meant that chemistry’s most famous table could be developed.

The Space Below AluminumMendeleev shocked the world when his bold and specific predictions about the properties of then-non-existent elements came true.

The Quiet Period of ChemistryA lot people hate organic chemistry, but physical chemistry is responsible for all the math you ever did in Gen Chem.

High-Voltage Electricity, Knighthood, and Nobel Prizes — oh, my!The most important subatomic particle in chemistry is discovered by a physicist — yay

Penetration and DeflectionSounds like a counterinsurgency strategy, but it’s how the atomic nucleus was discovered

Physics Was Wrong…and Niels Bohr was right

Alchemy IS PossibleDespite millennia of doubt, James Chadwick opened the door for the transformation of elements into other elements

3 Ways Electrons are like Layers of an OnionExplaining chemical bonding is hard — onions make it easier

Chemistry’s Embrace of the OccultGilbert N. Lewis puts a theory of chemical bonding into pictures while sending the number 8 into chemistry canon

One Number to Describe a Chemical BondAfter hundreds of years, chemistry returns to the occult — thanks numerology!

Chemistry Commandment #1: The Octet RuleThe rule of 8 becomes the “the octet rule” and serves as a unifying force to better understand chemical bonding

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