salita (chloride), Magnesia fluorata (fluoride), Magnesia arsenicata (arsenate),
Magnesia boraxata (borate), Magnesia saccharata (oxalate), Magnesia tartarisata
(tartrate), Magnesia acetata (acetate), Magneisa formicata (formate) and Magnesia
phosphorata (phosphate).
26.5 Bergman’s “Investigation of Truth”
Bergman’s first more serious criticism on chemical nomenclature appears in an
introductory essay called Introitus de indagando vero (Investigation of Truth) in the
first volume of his collected works Opuscula Physica et Chemica published in
1779:
I am not ignorant that words, like money, possess an ideal value, and that great danger of
confusion may be apprehended from a change of names; in the mean time it can not be
denied that chemistry, like the other sciences, was formerly filled with improper names. In
different branches of knowledge, we see those matters long since reformed: why then
should chemistry, which examines the real nature of things, still adopt vague names, which
suggest false ideas, and savour strongly of ignorance and imposition? Besides, there is no
doubt but that many corrections may be made without any inconvenience: – if, instead of
oil of vitriol, and spirit of vitriol, we used the terms concentrated vitriolic acid, and dilute
vitriolic acid, I think that no one would be thereby either confounded or misled. [18]
This first volume of his collected works contains revised versions of Commentatio de acido aëreo and De Magnesia alba and is filled with Bergman’s
binomial nomenclature. This was important, as we will see, since it more effectively
spread Bergman’s ideas on nomenclature internationally.
26.6 The Nomenclature in Bergman’s Sciagraphia
In 1782, Bergman published a book called Sciagraphia Regni Mineralis (Outline of
Mineralogy; Sect. 25.7) where he introduced a purely chemical classification of
minerals. Here, Bergman made extensive use of his nomenclature but had the
disadvantage of dealing with many substances of more complex composition
compared to de Morveau (Sect. 25.7) who only considered simple salts. As the
book dealt with mineralogy, the organic acids were not included in the discussions.
While the French translator supported Bergman’s nomenclature, the German
translator replaced Bergman’s systematic names with descriptive phrases. For
instance, Alkali vegetabile salitum [19] was replaced with “Vegetabilischen Laugensalts mit Salzsaurem gesättigt” [20] (Vegetable alkali saturated with muriatic
acid) and Calx vitriolata [21] was replaced with “Kalk mit Vitriolsaurem gesättigt”
[22] (lime saturated with vitriolic acid) in the German edition of the book. Bergman
himself used descriptive phrases when describing minerals of more complex
composition, i.e. Magnesia argillaceo, siliceo, et pyritaceo adunata [23]
(compound of magnesia, clay, silica and pyrite).
26.4 Bergman’s Work on Nomenclature in 1775
359
Magnesia boraxata (borate), Magnesia saccharata (oxalate), Magnesia tartarisata
(tartrate), Magnesia acetata (acetate), Magneisa formicata (formate) and Magnesia
phosphorata (phosphate).
26.5 Bergman’s “Investigation of Truth”
Bergman’s first more serious criticism on chemical nomenclature appears in an
introductory essay called Introitus de indagando vero (Investigation of Truth) in the
first volume of his collected works Opuscula Physica et Chemica published in
1779:
I am not ignorant that words, like money, possess an ideal value, and that great danger of
confusion may be apprehended from a change of names; in the mean time it can not be
denied that chemistry, like the other sciences, was formerly filled with improper names. In
different branches of knowledge, we see those matters long since reformed: why then
should chemistry, which examines the real nature of things, still adopt vague names, which
suggest false ideas, and savour strongly of ignorance and imposition? Besides, there is no
doubt but that many corrections may be made without any inconvenience: – if, instead of
oil of vitriol, and spirit of vitriol, we used the terms concentrated vitriolic acid, and dilute
vitriolic acid, I think that no one would be thereby either confounded or misled. [18]
This first volume of his collected works contains revised versions of Commentatio de acido aëreo and De Magnesia alba and is filled with Bergman’s
binomial nomenclature. This was important, as we will see, since it more effectively
spread Bergman’s ideas on nomenclature internationally.
26.6 The Nomenclature in Bergman’s Sciagraphia
In 1782, Bergman published a book called Sciagraphia Regni Mineralis (Outline of
Mineralogy; Sect. 25.7) where he introduced a purely chemical classification of
minerals. Here, Bergman made extensive use of his nomenclature but had the
disadvantage of dealing with many substances of more complex composition
compared to de Morveau (Sect. 25.7) who only considered simple salts. As the
book dealt with mineralogy, the organic acids were not included in the discussions.
While the French translator supported Bergman’s nomenclature, the German
translator replaced Bergman’s systematic names with descriptive phrases. For
instance, Alkali vegetabile salitum [19] was replaced with “Vegetabilischen Laugensalts mit Salzsaurem gesättigt” [20] (Vegetable alkali saturated with muriatic
acid) and Calx vitriolata [21] was replaced with “Kalk mit Vitriolsaurem gesättigt”
[22] (lime saturated with vitriolic acid) in the German edition of the book. Bergman
himself used descriptive phrases when describing minerals of more complex
composition, i.e. Magnesia argillaceo, siliceo, et pyritaceo adunata [23]
(compound of magnesia, clay, silica and pyrite).
26.4 Bergman’s Work on Nomenclature in 1775
359