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Common empirical foundations, different theoretical choices: The Berthollet-Proust controversy and Dalton’s resolution

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Abstract

Based upon the demarcation between Elementalism and Atomism Chemistry from the perspective of the long-term history of chemistry, the authors re-examine the Berthollet-Proust controversy on the three types of chemical compounds, pointing out that Berthollet proposed the law of indefinite proportions by deduction, while Proust proposed the law of definite proportions by induction. The controversy is beyond the framework of affinity chemistry and entail a synthesis of meta-chemical thinking and experiments. Proust’s discovery of the law of definite proportions not only function as Bacon’s “instances of lamp” to invoke Dalton and other atomism chemists to envision atomism, but also served as a bridge linking the two meta-chemistries. John Dalton, the third choice, envisioned his atomism by abduction. The case study on “the Berthollet-Proust controversy and Dalton’s resolution” mandates a reinvestigation of the crucial role of the system of experiments and the evolution of chemistry according to the demarcation between the established branches of Elementalism and Atomism Chemistry.

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Notes

  1. There are two kinds of oxides of copper, copper peroxide (Cu2O) and copper oxide (CuO). Proust could only prepare copper oxide in his experiments.

  2. Dalton set the diameter of water’s particle as 1.

  3. Proust did not recognize the existence of the other sulfide of copper, CuS. CuS in today’s chemistry is made in ways different from Proust “artificial” method of making Cu2S.

  4. Berthollet's concept of caloric was inherited from Lavoisier. Lavoisier assigned to caloric double roles: one was to afford power to cause both physical changes and chemical reactions, and the other was to fill the whole space and back up his view of universe. Berthollet mainly viewed caloric as a force that can cause physical changes and chemical reactions. When a substance or compound is heated, the calorie force increases and the distance between the mini parts of the substance or compound increases, making it easier to take place in physical changes and chemical reactions.

  5. Dalton’s Atomism can be divided into two parts: chemical Atomism and physical Atomism. So, he had table of relative atomic mass and relative atomic diameter. And his physical drew harsh criticism.

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  1. School of Humanities, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Yachun Xu, Yichen Tong & Jiangyang Yuan

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Xu, Y., Tong, Y. & Yuan, J. Common empirical foundations, different theoretical choices: The Berthollet-Proust controversy and Dalton’s resolution. Found Chem 25, 439–455 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10698-023-09471-0

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