Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 5
Experiments
“Many well educated people regard chemistry as a nice experimental way to
produce soda and soap, to have better steel, and to deliver good dyes for silk or
cotton”
[
1
]
.
Liebig bemoaned in 1840 already that laymen often believe chemistry to be
some kind of trial-and-error approach that, from time to time, delivers a new
product accidentally. It is not easily realized that the classical scientific experiment
is preceded by a whole philosophy. To define this context,
the idea of the
“elements” may serve as an example.
