Abstract
It has always been evident that heat is involved in chemical reactions as a product (as in combustion) or as an ingredient (as in cooking). But what is the nature of heat? How can it be measured? Interesting questions, but prior to 1800s chemists had plenty of other fish to fry, and they did not expend much effort in finding the answers. With the Industrial Revolution however, it was found that heat from combustion could produce work— a lot of work—and the question of heat moved to the front burner.
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References
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© 1995 Cathy Cobb and Harold Goldwhite
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Cobb, C., Goldwhite, H. (1995). ca. 1848–1914: Thermodynamics—The Heat of the Matter. In: Creations of Fire. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2770-5_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2770-5_11
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