HISTORICAL MATERIALS in COLLEGE GENERAL CHEMISTRY TEXTBOOKS RALPH E. DUNBAR North Dakota Agricultural College, Fargo, North Dakota
T
HE use of historical material as an effective approach to the study of numerous topics in general chemistry has long been recognized by most teachers and textbooks writers. However, even a casual examination of representative texts reveals a wide variation in the nature and extent of such materials included. The present study was undertaken to determine the type and amount of such historical materials contained in several representative college general chemistry textbooks. It is believed that the findings may be useful to instructors in planning their courses. Frank and Lundstedl have made a similar study of high-school chemistry texts and certain comparisons will he made between the two investigations. The plan of study and classification is essentially the same in the two reports. A pageby-page examination was made of the following twenty textbooks and all historical references noted, classified, and tabulated. In this study, as in the previous investigation,' all
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' WNK, J. 0. Ann LESTERLUNDSTED, "Historical materials
in high-schaal chemistry texts," J. CAEM. EDUC.. 12,367-9 (Aug.. 1935).
items relating to chemical history may he classified as brief accounts of the development of modem chemistry from alchemy and the older mixture of fact and snperstition which preceded it; short historical items, related to the discovery of an element or development of a law or theory, which are scattered throughout the texts; short mention of the names of important persons in chemical history; brief biographical accounts; and cuts of men and historical laboratories and apparatus. None of the twenty texts studied presents a complete or consistent history of the development of chemistry, although all make some reference to this early period of investigation. One of the books lists, in its appendix, the winners of the Nobel prize in Chemistry from 1901to 1935inclusive, with the country of residence and important contributions. The number of words used to present the historical aspects of chemistry range from 920 to 26,773 in the twenty texts surveyed. While this is an euormous ranae there appears to be little, if any, correlation between the historical and the date of publication of the several texts. At least there is no
noticeable increase in recent years for the first ten textbooks, all published before January 1, 1931, contain an average of 9040 words devoted to historical material, while the ten published since that date have an
of name, date of birth and death, and some hrief mention of important chemical contributions of the individual. Twelve of the twenty textbooks show cuts of men who have made important contributions to chemistry. These pictures vary from one-sixth to full naze size. TABLE I A totai of one hundred seventy portraits of &&-nine LIST 03 B O ~ ES XAMINBD different chemists appear in &twenty hooks.- The (1) B ~ m c a ~ aWILLUM o, M*arm, "Anintmduetion topencralchemistry/ range is from 0 to 29, cutsof historical laboratories, Doubleday, Doran & Company, In=..Carden City. New York. 1928. (2) BOND,PBBEY A,. he fundamentals of general chemistry: ~ a r r a r& pieces of apparatus of historical significance, and alninehart, Inc.. New York City. 1935. l are in eighteen of the (a B ~sruAxr R~.. . -~ ~ ~ ~-. rhrmiara ~ . .~ T ~~ M.r. r ~ . d chemical ~ ~laboratories ~ ~ ~ included ~ , ~~ ~ .... .. millen Company. S c r Yurk City 1932. twenty textbooks included in this study. 14, R l l w m . H s l * * b T "An inlrocllrrtiou to rnllrar chcmisrrv.' I h u a h ton ~ i m ci ~ ~scw YO,^ ~ city.1937. ~ ~ ~ ~ The. facts mcntinnrd aborc are briefly summarized .51 C A a r m n c a , C H . ''lotroduel~on to i n o r r ~ x ~ei hc r m i i f r v ' ni~uta d ;,, T n h L 9 (6) D s x r ~ c Hos&cs , G., "General chemistry." John wiley & Sons, he..
.
~~
~
ft
New York Citv. .. 1935.
(7) aosraa, Wr~~rur. "The elements of chemistry." D. Van Nwtrand.
Company, he.. New York City. 1932. (8) CORDON. N B ~ LE., ''Imgduct~rywllege chemistry." World Bwk Company, Yonkers-on-Hudson, New York, 1926. (9) HOLMBS. H m N., "Genersl chemistry." The Maemillan Company. New York City, 1936. (10) HOPRZNS, B. S ~ T H"Es-tiel. , of wllege chemistry." D. C Heath and Company, New York City, 1932. (n)KAaLm~sao.Lorna. "Outlines of ehemintry." he ~ a e m i l l a na m pany, New York City. 1918. (12) KBND&LL.JAMBS. '"Smith's i n t r d u c t o r g wllege chemistry," The Century Company, New York City, 1931. 13) McCou, H ~ a e e a rN. &so E~asr.M. T ~ s a u"lntmduction , to general chemistry: McCraw-Hill Book Company. Inc., New York City. 1020.
(14) McCurcaso~,T a o ~ n sP. AND Haaau S e ~ r z "General , chemistry: D.Van Nostrand Company, Ine.. New York City, 1927. (15) McPaaswN. WZLLIIY bND WzLLIax EDWARDS HBNDBRSON, "An elementary study of Ehemistry:' Gino and Company, New York
Aulhor of Textbook
Wordr in Iiirrmirol
No. of
Biogro-
Par-
Arcouur
Nomcr
4hirr
mils
Xisloricol Cuts
Brinkley McCoy & Terry
1 G-31~ -..,, -.
"it"
(16) NawmL, Luxm C.."College chemistry," D. C. Heath and Company. New,York City, 1925. (17) R~CHCHIW(DMN, LBO* B., "General chemistry..' Henry Holt and Conpany. New York City. 1927. (18) Scmemosa. H.I., "General chemistry." Longmans. Green =nd CO., New York City. 1930. (19) SNBBD. M. CANNON. "General inorganic chemistry." Gioo and Company, New York City, 1926. (20) n M x . JOHN A ~ B N D(. ' ~ intmduction n to chemistry," M C G I ~ ~ - H ~ I I Bmk Company, Ine.. Kew Vork City. 1930.
average of O 4 i 3 words. However, these averages are greatly influenced by the high values of the texts by Timm and Richardson. Short historical references are frequently made in connection with the discovery of ~mportantfacts or laws. The consistency is not all that might be desired. The topics most often treated historically are as follows. The discovery of helium in all twenty texts. The discovery of argon and the other inert gases of the atmosphere are mentioned, in more or less detail, in nineteen of the books studied. The history of the periodic table appears in eighteen of the textbooks. The discovery of oxygen, especially as related to the work of Lavoisier and Priestley, appears also in eighteen of the texts. A discussion of the discovery of radium and other related radioactive elements is included in seventeen of the college textbooks. The number of biographies, either brief or extended, in the twenty texts range from 0 to 29. A total of eighty-three biographical accounts of forty-six m e r e n t persons are included. These accounts usually consist
It will he observed that the text by Timm contains the largest number of words in the historical account. This may perhaps he explained in part by the obvious attitude of the author. In the preface he offers four objectives in outlining the subject matter of this textbook, the fourth of which is, "to treat the development of the theory from an historical point of view in so far as is consistent with a presentation of the subject matter which is pedagogically sound." A total of six hundred sixty-six different names are mentioned in the twenty texts. There are five hundred thirty-four names which occur five times or less and three hundred forty-two names which occur but once. There are only seventy-three names which are mentioned in more than half of the hooks. Only four names are mentioned in all of the books. The range of names mentioned varies from two hundred forty to fifty-one. It is interesting to note that the rank in number of names included does not coincide perfectly with the order of words in the historical accounts. A list of all names, together with the number of hooks in which each name is mentioned, is given in Table 3.
185
NO. of Bookr
Nomc Black cottre11 Deville Ediron Guldberg Janssen Liebig Prout Roentgen Soddy Stahl star Turnbull waage
Arrheniur curie, Mme. Glover Le Blnne Lewis Mosele~ Perre Rutherford
Bcrthollet Bredig Chaptal Clarke Debye Demomitu. Moreley Nessler onner siemens v a n Marum Wi"k1er
No. of Books
No. of Nomc Bergmann Bernouilli Boisbaudroo Bradley Burton Car0 carter Croostedt Downs pmry Frader Gahn Goodyar Hales Hampson Hess Hevery napkins Kelvin Klaproth Korrd Lovejoy Naddnck Oersted rasteur pattinson perrin Planck siuiman SiedcntoK Torricelli
urey vauqvelin watt
Birkelaod Byde Graham Hall Henry Mobsan Newlands Priestley
Acheron Aston curie. pierre Glauber Millikan van't HOE wohler
Andre"% Bergivs Brandt Carrel Frankland Hillebrand Kirchoff Marfin Mayow Meker Mond Nabel Ohm ThCnard Valentine
Berzelius
petit
Brin Clark Cmlidge Dr&e Fahrenheit Frauenhofer Geber Gilchrirt Hare Holman., Joule Kelly Landolt Mohr Nilson Noyes Faracelr"~ Pararclrivr Sherman Travera v a n Hdmont Werner wii*on 23igmondy
Alli.(m Amp& Boltwood Bad3 Cady Clausiua Candy coster Cruikshank Daguerre Debierne Einstein Frank Gnlila, Gladstone Hermanos Hertz Homer
Hooke Hopkina Keerom Kellner Knietrch Lunge McCoy Maxwell Mitseherlick Morse Murdock Murphy Nernrt Owens Pfeffer Plat0 Pliny Remun Rey Schwp Serpek Stoney strameyer Taylor Thornsen Van der Wan1
Bwks
No. o j Name Barns Beddoes B~eher Beoedict Brownrigg Busny Carlisle Chardonnet Compton Cort Coulomb curie, Marie dechancovrtois Diosmrides Darn Drummond Empedocler Findlay Fi."her. Hans Fowler Franklin Freundlieh Gibbs Goldstein Heirenberg Hisinger Hittar1 Holmes Hooker Humbaldt Hyatt Javelle Kekule Kendall Kjeldahl Kunkel Lamy Laplace Leehanehe Leucippus Mariotfe Matthiessen Millon Moore Mosander
Parmn Pauliog Phillips Plucker Regnavlt Reieh Reieheosteio Richter Rickets Roscoe Sabatier smeaton smith Soret Svedbcrg Thdes Thampwn Townrend Voltr Walker Washburn Watson Weldon whifney wo11rstoa Wroblevski
Nnna
Books
Berg Be:jerinek Berkeley Berkefeld Berl Berry Bevan Beyetirack Boltger Booth Both= Bracket Braham Bravn Brownlee Brilhl Bruyn Burher Buchna Bumhard Burgess Burrell Byrd Cadet Caillctet Cameron cariuo Carothers
carr Cawiorolo Casole Ce1.iuo Chad7riek Chamberlain Chaoce Chancel Chapin Chevreul Chrysablryl Claus Clement C1eve Cockroft C0lburn Cook coopier Cordus Conta Courtine. Cow1es Crawford Croek=~ Crms curtius Curhman Dampier Darrow Darwin Davisson Debierne De Broalie d'Elhujar De G r a a De Haas Delafontainc Del ltio Dennis de Slussvre Derormer Despretr Deville Diesel Dirae Divers
Fnjnns Falk Fauser Faaeault Fievie Fink Fizeau Foster Freonel Friedlander Gadolin Gaillard Gans Gansner &"tier Gerhardt Germer Gersdomite Glarveoor Gomberg Gore Graebe Gray Grew G~isnard Grill0 Gmroe Grotthus Harden Hardy Harley Harrington Hartlet Hafchett Helmont Hemming nenFLc1 Herahlitvs Herschel Hershey He&d Heuckel Hisgins Hinricks Hiringer Hittorf
No. d Bmks 1
1 1 1 1 1
1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1
1 1 1
1 1 1
1 1
1 1 1
1 1 1 1
1 1 1
1 1 1
1 Holes Honigrehmid Hubbard Hull Humpridge Huyghenr Ingenhousz Jaeniche Jeans 10% Joliof, F. Jdiot, Irene 1orgeoreo Josr
Kahlmberg Kanada Kayser Keijea KilleRer
1 1 1
1 1 1 1
1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1
1 1 1
1 1
1 1 1
1
1 1 1
vorce
Larron Laurent Lawrence Le B d Lemq de Boisbaudron
Woodhovre
lee
1
Leoard Lenuin Leverrien L'Hamit~ Liebvmann Lippmm Little
1
Agrieola Anaxagoras Ansuimmes Bamn Bdeland Bayen Beeker
Aeker
1 1 1
1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1
