Magick, mayhem, and mavericks : the spirited history of physical chemistry / Cathy Cobb.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cobb, Cathy.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Chemistry, Physical and theoretical--History.

Chemistry, Physical and theoretical.

History.

Physical Description:

420 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Amherst, N.Y. : Prometheus Books, 2002.

Summary:

Science popularizer Cobb takes a unique approach to explaining the concepts of physical chemistry, telling the story of the geniuses and eccentrics who made groundbreaking discoveries in this fascinating field. Illustrations.

Contents:

To My Physical Chemistry Kindred 11

Part I. Aristotle and the Ancients: Mathematics, Motion, and Machines

1. The Ancients: Heavenly Geometry 27

2. Aristotle: Touching Earth 35

3. The Arabs: Mohammedan Amalgamation 45

4. Medieval Magick and Renaissance Revival: Finding the Force 53

5. The Merchants: Mathematics of Money and Machines of War 63

Part II. The European Scientific Revolution: The Passionate Pursuit of Order

6. Mathematics: The First Wave 80

7. Physics: The First Wave 92

8. Chemistry: The First Wave 101

9. Mathematics and Physics: Wave after Wave 111

10. Lavoisier: The Chemical Sunami 121

Part III. The First Atomic Wars: Dalton to Perrin

11. Dalton's Diminutive Friends: An Atomic Theory 138

12. Thermodynamics: The Warmth and How It Spreads 147

13. Gnats in Sunbeams: Kinetic Theory of Gases 157

14. Statistical Mechanics: Maxwell's Demon and Boltzmann's Dream 166

15. Thermochemistry: Willard Gibbs and the Quiet Insurrection 177

16. Atoms or Not? The Test of Jean Perrin 186

Part IV. Physics and Chemistry Come to Light: Spectroscopy to Quantum Mechanics

17. Spectroscopy: Rainbows from the Sun 198

18. Electromagnetism: The Nature of the Sun 207

19. Atomic Structure: Pieces and Puzzles 217

20. The Quantum Revolution: Little Bits of Stuff 228

21. Quantum Riddle: When Is a Particle Not a Particle? When It's a Wave 239

Part V. The Flourish of the Physical Chemist: Affinity and Force

22. Rebels and Radicals: Quantum Chemistry in the United States 250

23. System and Symmetry: The Further Developments of Quantum Chemistry 262

24. The Ionists and Affinity: Physikalische Chemie 275

25. Intermolecular Forces: The Tie That Binds 285

26. Heirs to the Ionists: Physical Chemistry Crosses the Ocean 295

27. Reaction Rates: Physical Chemistry Keeps Pace 306

Part VI. The Fruits of Their Labors: The Product of Physcial Chemistry

28. Physical Chemistry and Physiology: Not So Strange Bedfellows 325

29. Nonlinear Dynamics: Physical Chemists Make Waves 337

30. Nanotechnology: How Low Can You Go? 348

31. Extreme Quantum: The Questions Keep Coming 357.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 399-402) and index.

ISBN:

157392976X

OCLC:

49726331