Reporting the discovery of new chemical elements: Working in different worlds, only 25 years apart

TY - JOUR

T1 - Reporting the discovery of new chemical elements

T2 - Working in different worlds, only 25 years apart

AU - Wray, K. Brad

AU - Andersen, Line Edslev

PY - 2020/7

Y1 - 2020/7

N2 - In his account of scientific revolutions, Thomas Kuhn suggests that after a revolutionary change of theory, it is as if scientists are working in a different world. In this paper, we aim to show that the notion of world change is insightful. We contrast the reporting of the discovery of neon in 1898 with the discovery of hafnium in 1923. The one discovery was made when elements were identified by their atomic weight; the other discovery was made after scientists came to classify elements by their atomic number. By considering two instances of the reporting of the discovery of a new chemical element 25 years apart, we argue that it becomes clear how chemists can be said to have been responding to different worlds as a result of the change in the concept of a chemical element. They (i) saw, (ii) did, and (iii) reported different things as they conducted their research on the new chemical elements.

AB - In his account of scientific revolutions, Thomas Kuhn suggests that after a revolutionary change of theory, it is as if scientists are working in a different world. In this paper, we aim to show that the notion of world change is insightful. We contrast the reporting of the discovery of neon in 1898 with the discovery of hafnium in 1923. The one discovery was made when elements were identified by their atomic weight; the other discovery was made after scientists came to classify elements by their atomic number. By considering two instances of the reporting of the discovery of a new chemical element 25 years apart, we argue that it becomes clear how chemists can be said to have been responding to different worlds as a result of the change in the concept of a chemical element. They (i) saw, (ii) did, and (iii) reported different things as they conducted their research on the new chemical elements.

KW - chemical element

KW - discovery

KW - Thomas Kuhn

KW - neon

KW - hafnium

KW - world changes

KW - theory change

U2 - 10.1007/s10698-019-09348-1

DO - 10.1007/s10698-019-09348-1

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1386-4238

VL - 22

SP - 137

EP - 146

JO - Foundations of Chemistry: Philosophical, Historical, Educational and Interdisciplinary Studies of Chemistry

JF - Foundations of Chemistry: Philosophical, Historical, Educational and Interdisciplinary Studies of Chemistry

IS - 2

ER -