The 1997 Dexter Award address: A language to order the chaos

Bensaude-Vincent, Bernadette

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/126134 Copy

Description

Title

The 1997 Dexter Award address: A language to order the chaos

Author(s)

Bensaude-Vincent, Bernadette

Issue Date

1999-03-15

Keyword(s)

• History
• Chemistry
• Chem Name Standardization History

Abstract

The historical development of the language of chem. is presented. The first major reform in chem. nomenclature occurred in the 18th century at the Paris Academy of Sciences through the efforts of four French chemists, Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau, Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier, Claude-Louis Berthollet and Antoine-Francois de Fourcroy. Their enterprise can be considered as revolutionary with the goal of systematization through the use of an artificial language for chem. A second major reform occurred in the 20th century but it was no longer a single and revolutionary event. It was a continuous process of change and an integral part of what is considered as normal science. The primary force for this second reform was the International Union of Pure and Applied Chem. The commission of delegates proposed dozens of rules with the goal of standardization. With the second reform, it can be said that the ideal of systematization gave way to the practicality of standardization.

Publisher

Division of the History of Chemistry

ISSN

1053-4385

Type of Resource

text

Genre of Resource

article

Language

eng

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/126134

DOI

https://doi.org/10.70359/bhc1999n23p001

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 1999 Division of the History of Chemistry

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