Classic Chemistry
compiled by Carmen Giunta
Le Moyne College
Department of Chemistry

classic papers	classic calculations	Elements and Atoms	Places of the Periodic Table
calendar	glossary	internet resources

• Selected Classic Papers from the History of Chemistry listed alphabetically or by topic.
• Classic Calculations: Quantitative exercises tied to and based upon classic papers from the history of chemistry.
• Elements and Atoms: annotated papers on the development of the concepts of elements and atoms
• Places of the Periodic Table: searchable online map of places associated with the developers of the periodic table and with the chemical elements with links to further information. About: http://web.lemoyne.edu/giunta/IYPTplaces.html. Key: http://web.lemoyne.edu/giunta/key.html
• History of Chemistry Calendars:
  • This Week in the History of Chemistry (presented in Sunday-Saturday weeks) and month-by-month chemical anniversaries.
  • This Month in the History of the Periodic Table
• Glossary of archaic chemical terms (Introduction and A-B, C-F, G-L, M-R, S-Z). Old terms, many of which appear in the Selected Classic Papers (including cross-references). See introduction for further information and disclaimers. See also:
  • "A Dictionary of the New Chymical Nomenclature" from Method of Chymical Nomenclature by Louis Bernard Guyton de Morveau, Antoine Lavoisier, Claude-Louis Bertholet, and Antoine de Fourcroy (1787).
  • John Eklund's Dictionary of Obsolete Chemical Terms posted at the ChemTeam Site.
• Selected sites on (mainly) the history of chemistry
• Poster presented at ACS national meeting, 17 August 2009, "Méthode de nomenclature chimique revisited". Clicking this link will call up an image of the poster. That image is a clickable map; clicking on each sections will display an enlargement of the section.
• Obsolete nomenclature challenge from that poster.
• The Discovery of Argon: a Case Study in Scientific Method presented at ACS National Meeting, 3/24/96

Welcome. The principal purpose of this site is to post the texts of several classic papers from the history of chemistry. This site also contains pointers to a few other chemistry-related sites. In early July 1996, "This Week in the History of Chemistry" debuted, including links to sites about the listed person or events. I intend to continue to add more classic papers. In addition, I will expand the texts of some papers which are currently listed as excerpts. So if you like what you see, drop in again and see what's new. I welcome comments and suggestions. Click here to send me e-mail at giunta@lemoyne.edu

The Internet can be a wonderful source of information as well as misinformation. Researchers should always critically evaluate their sources (print as well as electronic). I have endeavored to make this site as reliable as possible. In order to provide you, the users of this site, with a bit more confidence in me, its compiler, I have decided to post my credentials in the form of a Curriculum Vitae. I also list below some stamps of approval from on-line science sites.