11
Models and Reality
Symmetry is what we see at a glance.
Blaise Pascal
Abstract
This chapter is dedicated to some problems about the use of models in the
discovery of the spatial configurations of molecules and chirality. The
appearance of the concept of chirality in the history of chemistry is discussed
as a case study about the epistemic application of the methods of empirical
induction and logical deduction. The appearance of physical chemistry, which is
focused on the relationship between the observational parameters and the
theoretical concepts developed within the structural theory, could be regarded as
a new paradigm in science. By combination of physical and chemical concepts
the chemical phenomena were more deeply explained in the frame of electron
structure of atoms.
Keywords
Models Á Chemical topology Á Configuration Á Stereochemistry Á Induction Á
Deduction Á Chemical atoms Á Physical atoms Á Chemical dualism Á
Gravimetry Á Volumetry Á Semiempirical approach Á Chemical graph theory
As I have mentioned, the structural theory that has been developed from the type
theory has introduced the principle of constitution, which determines the mode of
the interlinking of atoms. Let me point out, that this constitutional representation
does not include the real physical space. Constitution is a topological category.
Topology is an abstract mathematical theory introduced in 17th century by Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz (1646–1716), and later developed by Leonhard
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
H. Vančik, Philosophy of Chemistry, Integrated Science 2,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69224-7_11
103
Models and Reality
Symmetry is what we see at a glance.
Blaise Pascal
Abstract
This chapter is dedicated to some problems about the use of models in the
discovery of the spatial configurations of molecules and chirality. The
appearance of the concept of chirality in the history of chemistry is discussed
as a case study about the epistemic application of the methods of empirical
induction and logical deduction. The appearance of physical chemistry, which is
focused on the relationship between the observational parameters and the
theoretical concepts developed within the structural theory, could be regarded as
a new paradigm in science. By combination of physical and chemical concepts
the chemical phenomena were more deeply explained in the frame of electron
structure of atoms.
Keywords
Models Á Chemical topology Á Configuration Á Stereochemistry Á Induction Á
Deduction Á Chemical atoms Á Physical atoms Á Chemical dualism Á
Gravimetry Á Volumetry Á Semiempirical approach Á Chemical graph theory
As I have mentioned, the structural theory that has been developed from the type
theory has introduced the principle of constitution, which determines the mode of
the interlinking of atoms. Let me point out, that this constitutional representation
does not include the real physical space. Constitution is a topological category.
Topology is an abstract mathematical theory introduced in 17th century by Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz (1646–1716), and later developed by Leonhard
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
H. Vančik, Philosophy of Chemistry, Integrated Science 2,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69224-7_11
103