37: Come to the Lab
11/07/22 • 23 min
We take a break from chemical observations and theory, and switch to practice. That is, we learn about the origins of the chemical laboratory in the Renaissance, and track its development up through the early 20th century. We see the switch from furnaces to gas lines for individual heating apparatuses. We see the start of ventilation, and the differentiation of experimental, lecture, and teaching laboratories. Gradually plumbing enters laboratories, and the arrangement of tables and benches becomes standardized. Laboratories even filter down into governmental school settings.
- Support my podcast at https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry
- Tell me how your life relates to chemistry! E-mail me at [email protected]
- Get my book, O Mg! How Chemistry Came to Be, from World Scientific Publishing, https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12670#t=aboutBook
We take a break from chemical observations and theory, and switch to practice. That is, we learn about the origins of the chemical laboratory in the Renaissance, and track its development up through the early 20th century. We see the switch from furnaces to gas lines for individual heating apparatuses. We see the start of ventilation, and the differentiation of experimental, lecture, and teaching laboratories. Gradually plumbing enters laboratories, and the arrangement of tables and benches becomes standardized. Laboratories even filter down into governmental school settings.
- Support my podcast at https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry
- Tell me how your life relates to chemistry! E-mail me at [email protected]
- Get my book, O Mg! How Chemistry Came to Be, from World Scientific Publishing, https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12670#t=aboutBook
Previous Episode
36: An Oily Character
Here we talk a bit about the history of petroleum from ancient days to modernity. Among the moderns we hear of are Abraham Gesner, promoter of kerosene; Samuel Kier, huckster, canal-boat owner, and refiner; and Edwin Drake's well that ushered in the modern oil industry. We discuss fractional distillation of petroleum to isolate the various components, octane rating for fuels, and various international terms for "gasoline". Finally, we learn of hydrocarbons as lubricants, and I bring in Elliott Greenfield, Senior Engineer at Greenfield Manufacturing, to discuss physical properties of hydrocarbons.
- Support my podcast at https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry
- Tell me how your life relates to chemistry! E-mail me at [email protected]
- Get my book, O Mg! How Chemistry Came to Be, from World Scientific Publishing, https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12670#t=aboutBook
Next Episode
38: Same but Different
This episode introduces isotopes, first understood by Frederick Soddy, while studying decays of radioactive elements. Then we look at half-lives of elements, first calculated by Ernest Rutherford. This led to the first reasonable age of the Earth, calculated by Bertram Boltwood. Soddy and Kasimir Fajans independently figure out what happens to isotopes vis-a-vis the periodic table. Stefanie Horovitz first proves the existence of isotopes after tedious lab work to isolate two forms of lead. Soon after, J.J. Thompson builds a crude mass spectrometer and distinguishes two forms of neon. We discuss isotopes of uranium and hydrogen.
- Support my podcast at https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry
- Tell me how your life relates to chemistry! E-mail me at [email protected]
- Get my book, O Mg! How Chemistry Came to Be, from World Scientific Publishing, https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12670#t=aboutBook
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