DOCSLIB.ORG

A Sudden Change in the Properties of a Drug As a New Polymorph Appears Can Be Highly Damaging for Pharma Firms

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Sudden Change in the Properties of a Drug As a New Polymorph Appears Can Be Highly Damaging for Pharma Firms Technology focus The shape shifters A sudden change in the properties of a drug as a new polymorph appears can be highly damaging for pharma firms. The industry now appears to be in control of the situation and is even reaping financial rewards from new polymorphs, as Susan Aldridge discovers The pharmaceutical industry solid state properties for the – a crucial consideration when faces a deadly and swift saboteur. In short pharmaceutical and biotechnology shipping a pharmaceutical or food This attacker hits unexpectedly Polymorphism, when industries. ‘The worst that can product. The US Food and Drug and comes under the title compounds adopt happen for a pharmaceutical Administration (FDA) thinks ‘polymorphism’: when compounds more than one crystal company is if a new polymorph these issues important enough to adopt more than one crystal structure, is taken very suddenly appears in the temperature require companies to register the structure or polymorph in the seriously by the pharma and humidity conditions of a blister polymorphic forms of any new drug solid state. A new polymorph industry pack when a compound is actually they make. can be catastrophic; overnight a A new polymorph on the market.’ It is likely that all small organic drug manufactured for market can appear suddenly in Polymorphism was first molecules have the potential for can become less soluble and less a manufactured drug, discovered in 1821 by the German polymorphism, because there are bioavailable. Although a compound’s with devastating results. chemist Eilhard Mitscherlich and so many ways in which molecules polymorphs are chemically Although chemically is a widespread phenomenon in the can be packed within a crystal, identical, their physical properties identical, the new chemical world. Polymorphs differ mainly through different ways of can be tremendously different. polymorph can have in their outer form (habit) as well arranging hydrogen bonds between ‘Polymorphism is completely very different physical as their inner structure (form). For neighbouring molecules. unpredictable,’ says Chris Frampton, properties example, polymorphs of the amino ‘It is a matter of finding the right chief scientific officer of SAFC- It is estimated that acid glycine exist either as prisms or conditions for a polymorph to form,’ Pharmorphix, a Cambridge, UK- 30–50 per cent of as a pencil shape, while paracetamol explains Frampton. Sometimes these based company which investigates pharma compounds crystals may appear as prisms or conditions may be so extreme – very exhibit polymorphism monoliths (see fig, p68). Polymorphs high pressure, for instance – that the Polymorphs are may differ in melting point, polymorph’s existence is likely to patentable and can be solubility, density, hardness, and in remain undiscovered indefinitely. A used to extend the life of optical and electrical properties. In drug or food product is made many a drug industrial terms, these differences times over; any changes in synthesis may affect manufacturing and conditions, however subtle, may processing properties, shelf life, encourage the emergence of new texture, stability against air and light, polymorphic forms. ‘We want to ability to be compressed into a tablet, ensure the crystallisation step yields and so on. the same polymorph each time,’ says The first polymorph to form may Frampton. be metastable and liable to convert Roland Boese, of the University of to a different, more stable, form over Duisberg-Essen, Germany, quotes time or under different conditions estimates that 30 to 50 per cent of re-synthesis. Or the most stable of pharmaceutically important polymorph at room temperature compounds exhibit polymorphism. may become metastable at another If hydrates and solvates are included, Chemist Eilhard temperature; transitions between then perhaps as many as 90 per cent Mitscherlich discovered polymorphs may occur as the of compounds will exist in more than polymorphism in 1821 temperature is raised or lowered one crystalline form. 64 | Chemistry World | April 2007 www.chemistryworld.org CW.04.07.polymorphs.indd 64 21/03/2007 08:25:41 PHARMORPHIX www.chemistryworld.org Chemistry World | April 2007 | 65 CW.04.07.polymorphs.indd 65 21/03/2007 08:26:13 Technology focus Now polymorph screening is a common procedure, using robots to carry out hundreds or thousands PHARMORPHIX of crystallisation experiments using different solvents or solvent mixtures and different cooling and evaporation rates. Boese, one of the international team that analysed aspirin’s form II, adds that some scientists still discover polymorphs using a more empirical approach. ‘There is no general rule, but some more or less intuitive guidelines do exist, sometimes kept secret by experimentalists.’ A stable polymorph is obviously a potentially good choice for a pharmaceutical company to take into further development. But stability is not the only consideration. ‘A metastable form may have better dissolution properties, which then improves the bioavailability,’ says Boese. ‘But the metastable form may then transform into the stable form, which is then less soluble. This was the case with ritonavir.’ On the other hand, as Frampton points out, a compound can be too soluble – it may take in water during storage. Once a desired polymorph has been discovered, the next step is to learn how to obtain it reliably – and stop less desired polymorphs from forming. The crystallisation process is not well understood Industrial cost form II exclusively. This involved X-ray crystallography but involves nuclei forming In industry, the existence of a carefully controlled reflux and is crucial in the hunt for within a supersaturated solution polymorphs is best discovered cooling cycle, keeping the solutions new polymorphs of the compound. The nuclei act sooner rather than later, as US and reactor as free as possible from as templates for the formation pharmaceutical firm Abbott form II contamination. of further crystals within the Laboratories learnt to its cost. In Even long-established drugs can solution. Without nucleation, the 1998 the company found that it be hit by polymorphism. In 2005, a supersaturated solution may not could no longer make the original team of researchers led by Michael crystallise for a long time, which form of its HIV drug ritonavir Zaworotko of the University of is why chemists sometimes try to because a second polymorph had South Florida, US, claimed to form nuclei by scratching the side taken the place of the first during have discovered and made a new of the vessel containing the solution manufacture. Abbott scientists polymorph of aspirin: form II (see with a glass rod. Tiny crystals of had discovered that the drug was fig, p70). Then, last year, a team from the desired polymorph – if they starting to fail dissolution tests Denmark, Germany and India, led exist – can act as nuclei or seeds for and precipitating out of capsules. by Boese, claimed to show that the crystallising that polymorph. But Investigation showed the existence crystals analysed by the US team seeding doesn’t always work as of polymorph II (needles), which were in fact an intergrowth of two planned – if seeds of an undesired was more soluble and less stable polymorphs: form I and form II. polymorph are present, even in a than polymorph I (rods). Form II Pure form II is elusive, they say. very small amount, they will tend soon spread and form I could no ‘It is the worst to seed that polymorph, instead of longer be synthesised. Form II’s Structure screening the wanted one. Impurities can also decreased solubility could have Ritonavir served as a wake-up call that can happen act as seeds. ‘The purer a compound affected the drug’s bioavailability for the pharmaceutical industry, for a pharma is the less likely templating is. As and Abbott was forced to withdraw which became more interested in a compound becomes purer, there ritonavir from the market for a time exploring the solid state of drug company if a could be a switch to a different while it figured out how to get the candidates at an earlier stage. new polymorph polymorph,’ says Bill Jones, head original polymorph back; its loss Previously, companies had been of the chemistry department at in sales was compounded by extra reluctant to part with precious suddenly Cambridge University, UK. development costs. Abbott scientists milligrams of a new compound for appears when Crystallisation need not be so finally found a way to get back, these studies – especially when unpredictable. Recent research from consistently, to form I while also they might not even go ahead with a drug is on the Mike Ward’s group at the University discovering a way to manufacture developing the compound. market’ of Minnesota, US, suggests that the 66 | Chemistry World | April 2007 www.chemistryworld.org CW.04.07.polymorphs.indd 66 21/03/2007 08:26:47 2112-25 Chme World (Pharmorphix) 275x210 Ad 15/3/07 12:00 Page 1 Pharmorphix™ Solid State Chemistry Accelerating drug development. Strengthening Intellectual Property. Extending product life. Pharmorphix is a world leading provider of solid form research services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. Our experience coupled with state of the art facilities, places Pharmorphix at the forefront of pharmaceutical solid form research and development. Our focus is to drive molecules into the clinic by understanding and modifying the physical properties of the drug substance to ensure patient benefit, rapid development and protection of intellectual property. Pharmorphix's R&D support services include polymorph investigation, salt selection, physicochemical property determinations, pre-formulation profiling, co crystal investigations, classical chiral resolution and crystallization studies. For solid state chemistry services beyond expectation – look to SAFC Pharma. www.chemistryworld.org Chemistry World | April 2006 | 67 www.safc-pharmorphix.com Member of the Sigma-Aldrich Group CW Adverts_Display.indd 67 20/03/2007 15:37:52 Technology focus How many polymorphs? Many compounds such as sucrose polymorphism was discovered and naphthalene appear to have by Lian Yu, now of the University only one polymorphic form.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Century's Progress in Chemistry
    THE CENTURY’S PROGRESS IN CHEMISTRY. 749 THE CENTURY’S PROGRESS IN CHEMISTRY. HENRY SMITH WILLIAMS, M.D. tlie casual observer, it might .seem to beginnings have great end- have no alliance whatever. The won- SMALLings—sometimes. As a case in point, derful theory of atoms, on which the note what came of the small original ef- whole gigantic structure of modern chem- fort of a self-trained back-country Quak- istry is founded, was the logical out- er youth named John Dalton, who along growth, in the mind of John Dalton, of toward the close of the last century be- those early studies in meteorology. came interested in the weather, and was The way it happened was this; From led to construct and use a crude rain- studying the rainfall, Dalton turned nat- gauge to test the amount of the wa- urally to the complementary process of terfall. The simple experiments thus evaporation. He was soon led to believe inaugurated led to no fewer than two that vapor exists in the atmosphere as an hundred thousand recorded observations independent gas. But since two bodies regarding the weather, which formed the cannot occupy the same space at the same basis for some of the most epochal dis- time, this implies that the various atmos- coveries in meteorology, as we have seen. pheric gases are really composed of discrete But this w Tas only a beginning. The particles. These ultimate particles are so simple rain-gauge pointed the way to the small that we cannot see them—cannot, most important generalization of our cen- indeed, more than vaguely imagine them tury in a field of science with which, to —yet each particle of vapor, for example, 750 HARPER’S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE.
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of Formulas and Structure in Organic Chemistry During the 19Th Century Dalton (1803)
    The Evolution of Formulas and Structure in Organic Chemistry During the 19th Century Dalton (1803) Dalton’s Symbols (1803) Hydrogen Carbon Oxygen Nitrogen • circles for atoms of elements • occasional use of letters - gold G John Dalton (1766-1844) • must learn the symbol for each element Binary atoms Binary “atoms” water ammonia carbon monoxide OH NH CO Dalton (1803) Ternary atoms Ternary “atoms” carbon dioxide acetic acid olefiant gas OCO H HCH CO Dalton (1803) Berzelius • use first letter of Latin name of element SHCON hydrogencarbonoxygennitrogensulfur • use first two letters when first letter is taken J. J. Berzelius (1779-1848) SeSi siliconselenium Latin roots Latin roots English Latin Symbol antimony stibnum Sb tin stannum Sn sodium natrium Na potassium kalium K Why Latin? Why Latin? “Science, like that nature to which it belongs, is neither limited by time nor space, it belongs to the world, and is of no country and of no age” Sir Humphry Davy Affinity Affinity of the elements Oxygen (most electronegative) … … … … … … … … … (most electropositive) Potassium Dualism Dualism … the electrochemical theory By arranging the atoms in the order of their electrical affinities, one forms an electrochemical system, which is more suitable than any other arrangement to give an idea of chemistry. Berzelius Dualism exemplified Dualism exemplified + - + - K O S 3 O + - KO SO3 KO,SO3 Berzelius sulfate of potash The formula Sulfate of potash KO,SO3 • composed of a base KO and an acid SO3 • formula reflects number and kind of each atom • each atom has a defined mass (weight) Berzelius Dilemma The dilemma in the early 19th century • equivalent weights vs.
    [Show full text]
  • On Kekulé's Insight
    On Kekulé’s insight Giuseppe Iurato E-mail: [email protected] Abstract. In this paper, we would like to retake a historical controversy on the alleged discovery of Kekulé’s Benzene structure formula from other possible epistemological viewpoints which might perhaps put into a more right historical perspective this apparent and unmotivated riddle, also with the aid of some elementary psychoanalytic considerations. Moreover, one of the purposes of this paper is also that of understanding some possible, general aspects underlying a creative process. 1. Introduction This paper is centered on the vexata quæstio concerning the so-called Kekulé’s insight, namely, the alleged question inherent the discovery of the Benzene structure1. The Benzene, as chemical substance, was isolated by Michael Faraday in 1825 and the qualitative chemical analysis detected only carbon and hydrogen in it, so that its empirical formula is CH. Subsequent repeated analyses and molecular weight determinations2 (mainly made by Eilhard Mitscherlich in 1834) have determined to be C6H6 its molecular formula. The chemical properties of this substance show a high unsaturation degree (due to its low hydrogen-carbon ratio equal to 1:1) but it is no subject to those typical chemical reactions which characterize the other already known organic compounds, whence it follows that such a substance did should fall into another, new class of organic compounds: indeed, it will be the simplest chemical substance of the so-called aromatic compounds class. Thereafter, one of the main theoretical task was to determine, according to the new Dalton’s atomic theory, the possible geometrical configurations related to the disposition of the carbon and hydrogen atoms.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Arsenic Ethers: Who Was Felix D'arcet?
    ORIGINAL ARTICLES Department of Cellular Biology & Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, USA History of arsenic ethers: who was Felix D’Arcet? G. A. Petroianu Received February 28, 2012, accepted March 12, 2012 Prof. Dr. med. Georg A. Petroianu, Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Depart- ment of Cellular Biology & Pharmacology, University Park, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami–33199 FL, USA georg.petroianu@fiu.edu Pharmazie 67: 951–953 (2012) doi: 10.1691/ph.2012.2052 Williamson serendipitously discovered (1851) a new and efficient way to produce esters using ethyl iodide and potassium salts and in doing so elucidated the molecular mechanism behind ether formation. Lassaigne (1820) made the analogy between sulphovinic and phosphovinic acids and demonstrated the existence of phosphovinic acid, while Pelouze (1833) synthesised monoethyl phosphovinic acid. Finally 1848 Voegeli produced diethyl phosphovinic acid and the first neutral ester of phosphoric acid, the triethyl phosphate (TEP). The successes of Lassaigne and Pelouze in producing phosphovinic acids and Mitscherlich’s theory of isomorphism fuelled the search for the vinic acids of arsenic, phosphorus neighbor in the periodic system. This short report attempts to identify the (less known) pharmacists and chemists involved in the quest for both arsenovinic acids and the neutral esters of arsenic and pyroarsenic acids. 1. Introduction In 1801 Jean-Pierre Boudet (1778–1849) generated traces of “ether” by directly reacting alcohol and phosphoric acid. Pierre Franc¸ois Guillaume Boullay (1777–1869) recognized that Boudet’s “phosphoric ether” was identical with both the “sulfu- ric ether” and the “arsenic ether” (and none of them contained phosphor, sulfur or arsenic)1 (Boullay 1815).
    [Show full text]
  • Jöns Jacob Berzelius 1 Jöns Jacob Berzelius
    Jöns Jacob Berzelius 1 Jöns Jacob Berzelius J. J. Berzelius Jöns Jacob Berzelius (1779–1848) Born 20 August 1779 Väversunda, Östergötland, Sweden Died 7 August 1848 (aged 68) Stockholm, Sweden Nationality Sweden Fields Chemistry Institutions Karolinska Institute Alma mater Uppsala University Doctoral advisor Johann Afzelius Doctoral students James Finlay Weir Johnston Heinrich Rose Known for Atomic weights Chemical notation Silicon Selenium Thorium Cerium Notable awards Copley medal Jöns Jacob Berzelius (Swedish: [jœns ˌjɑːkɔb bæɹˈseːliɵs]; 20 August 1779 – 7 August 1848) was a Swedish chemist. He worked out the modern technique of chemical formula notation, and is together with John Dalton, Antoine Lavoisier, and Robert Boyle considered a father of modern chemistry.[1] He began his career as a physician but his researches in physical chemistry were of lasting significance in the development of the subject. He achieved much in later life as secretary of the Swedish Academy. He is known in Sweden as the Father of Swedish Chemistry. Berzelius Day is celebrated on 20 August in honour of him[2]. Biography Born at Väversunda in Östergötland in Sweden, Berzelius lost both his parents at an early age. Relatives in Linköping took care of him, and there he attended the school today known as Katedralskolan. He then enrolled at Uppsala University where he learned the profession of medical doctor from 1796 to 1801; Anders Gustaf Ekeberg, the discoverer of tantalum, taught him chemistry. He worked as an apprentice in a pharmacy and with a physician in the Medevi mineral springs. During this time he conducted analysis of the spring water. For his medical studies he examined the influence of galvanic current on several diseases and graduated as M.D.
    [Show full text]
  • The Emergence of the Structure of the Molecule and the Art of Its Synthesis
    Total Synthesis DOI: 10.1002/anie.200((will be filled in by the editorial staff)) The Emergence of the Structure of the Molecule and the Art of Its Synthesis K. C. Nicolaou* At the core of the science of chemistry lie the structure of the molecule, the art of its synthesis, and the design of function within it. These attributes elevate chemistry to an essential, indispensable, and powerful discipline whose impact on the life and materials sciences is paramount, undisputed, and expanding. Indeed, today the combination of structure, synthesis, and function is driving many scientific frontiers forward, including drug discovery and development, biology and biotechnology, materials science and nanotechnology, and molecular devices of all kinds. What connects structure and function is synthesis, whose flagship is total synthesis, the art of constructing the molecules of nature and their derivatives. The power of chemical synthesis at any given time is reflected and symbolized by the state of the art of total synthesis, and as such the condition and sophistication of the latter needs to be continuously nourished and advanced. In this review the understanding of the structure of the molecule, the emergence of organic synthesis, and the art of total synthesis are traced from the nineteenth century to the present day. 1. Introduction other sciences, technologies, and engineering, and how did it come to be so advanced and enabling? The power of chemistry is The celebration of Angewandte Chemie’s 125th anniversary in primarily derived from its ability to understand molecular structure, 2013 gives us the opportunity to reflect on both the past and the synthesize it, and build function within it through molecular design future of the central, and yet universal and ubiquitous, science of and synthesis.
    [Show full text]
  • Liebig, Wöhler, and Bunsen (1)
    14 Bull. Hist. Chem., VOLUME 37, Number 1 (2012) CONTRASTING MENTORS FOR ENGLISH- SPEAKING CHEMISTRY STUDENTS IN GERMANY IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY: LIEBIG, WÖHLER, AND BUNSEN (1) Paul R. Jones, University of Michigan, [email protected] Introduction The situation, developing rapidly in Germany at mid-century, was far different. (2, 3). German chemists Aspiring chemists in America and Britain in the mid had themselves sought advanced training in Stockholm 1800s, having completed undergraduate training at col- under Berzelius or in Paris in Gay-Lussac’s laboratory, leges or universities in their native countries, needed to for example. Eilhard Mitscherlich, student at Göttingen search elsewhere to continue their training. Their instruc- with Stromeyer, and Friedrich Wöhler, holding a medical tion in chemistry at Harvard, Yale, Oxford, Cambridge, degree from Heidelberg under L. Gmelin, nevertheless and other institutions consisted of lectures, perhaps sought additional instruction under Berzelius’s tutelage embellished with some demonstrations; but students had and brought back to their native country the benefit of little or no access to laboratory facilities themselves, their their experiences, which shaped their future scientific exposure to the science being passive rather than active. careers. Justus von Liebig, awarded the D.Phil. at Er- Furthermore, the lectures were presented by professors langen under Kastner, and Robert Bunsen, a Stromeyer who, for the most part, were self-taught and had never student in Göttingen, ventured to Paris and worked in the ventured from their own roots, often holding positions laboratory of Gay-Lussac, 1832-1833. These individuals, in their own home academic institution. along with several others, then took positions at German Table 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Eilhard Mitscherlich. 1794-1863
    Eilhard Mitscherlich. 1794-1863. Von Dr. Richard Kissling. Hierzu Taf. 2l'. „Mit den vielseitigsten Kenntnissen ausgerüstet, voll feiner Be- obachtungsgabe und mit scharfem Denkvermögen begabt, hat Mit- scherlich in der Chemie selbst und in den Gebieten, welche die Chemie mit der Mineralogie und der Physik verbinden, eine Reihe der wichtigsten Entdeckungen gemacht, die seinen Namen für immer an die Geschichte der Wissenschaft knüpfen". So äussert sich der berühmte Chemiker Ramme] sberg, der, wie nur wenige andere, berufen war, an Mitscherlich's wissenschaft- liche Bedeutung den richtigen Massstab zu legen. Da Mitscherlich's Geburtsort, das nahe dem Jadebusen gelegene friesische Dorf Neuende, wie auch das Städtchen (Jever), in dem er seine Knaben- jahre verlebte, dem Gebiete angehören, das der Bremer „Natur- wissenschaftliche Verein" in dem Bereich seiner forschenden und beschreibenden Tätigkeit einbezogen hat, so geziemt es sich wohl, auch in diesen Blättern dem berühmten Gelehrten den Zoll der Dankbarkeit dadurch zu entrichten, dass man seiner in Ver- 1 ehrung gedenkt. ) Mitscherlich's Vater, der in Neuende als Seelsorger waltete, vertraute seinen am 7. Januar 1794 geborenen Sohn Eilhard schon frühzeitig einem jungen Pädagogen, dem damals in Jever als Lehrer tätigen, nachmals berühmten Geschichtsschreiber Schlosser an. Dieser bedeutende Mann fasste eine tiefe Zuneigung zu seinem Zögling und übte auf dessen Geistesrichtung natürlich eineu wesent- lichen Einfluss aus. Er nahm ihn bei seiner Uebersiedelung nach Frankfurt a. M., dann nach Heidelberg mit sich und blieb bis zu seinem Tode in inniger Freundschaft mit ihm verbunden. Nach Vollendung seiner Vorbildung widmete sich Mitscherlich in Paris, dann in Göttingen dem Studium der orientalischen Sprachen — seine Doktordissertation handelt über ein persisches Geschichtswerk — und ging schliesslich nach Berlin, um sich dort ! Gedenkblatt in den ) Die Anregung, ein solches „Abhandlungen des Naturw.
    [Show full text]
  • Back Matter (PDF)
    INDEX TO THE PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS (B) FOE THE YEAE 1894. B. nderia, the action of light on, 961 (see W ard). A-Rlow (W. S. L.) (see Lazarus-B arlow). eevor (C. E.) and H orsley (V.). A Further Minute Analysis by Electric Stimulation of the so-called Motor Region (Facial Area) of the Cortex Cerebri in the Monkey ( sinicus), 39. ower (F. O.). Studies in the Morphology of Spore-producing Members.—Equisetineae and Lycopo- dineae, 473. otce (R.) and S urveyor (N\ F.). Upon the Existence of more than one Fungus in Madura Disease (Mycetoma), 1 . C. lalamites, on, 863 (see W illiamson and S cott). 'alamostachys, on, 863 (see W illiamson and S cott). jarehesiumpolypinum, on the constitution and mode of formation of “ food vacuoles” in Infusoria, as illustrated by the history of the processes of digestion in, 355 (see Greenwood). Cat, the effect produced upon respiration by Faradic excitation of the cerebrum in the, 609 (see Spencer). Cerebellum, experimental researches into the functions of the, 819 (see R ussell). erebellumand its peduncles and related structures in mo, experiments illustrative of the symptoma­ tology and degenerations following lesions of the, 719 (see F errier and T urner). Cerebrum in the monkey, dog, cat, and rabbit, the effect produced upon respiration by Faradic excitation of the, 609 (see S pencer), m d c c c x c iv .---- B. b Girripedia, on the early development of, 119 (see Groom). Goal-measures, further observations on the organisation of the fossil plants of the.—Part I., 863 / W illiamson and S cott).
    [Show full text]
  • Named Things in Chemistry: a New On-Line Database for Research and Teaching
    Named Things in Chemistry: A New On-line Database for Research and Teaching John Andraos ([email protected]) York University, Department of Chemistry Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Named Things in Chemistry & Physics http://www.chem.yorku.ca/NAMED http://www.careerchem.com/NAMED/Homepage.html "Scire ubi aliquid invenire possis, ea demum maxima pars eruditionis est." ("To know where you can find anything, that in short is the largest part of learning.") -- Anonymous "Knowledge is of two kinds: we know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it." Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784) 1 "History is a thing scientists do when they can't do science anymore." -- Oxygen, a play by Profs. Roald Hoffmann and Carl Djerassi "If [this were] true, then there is little chance of the younger generation ever following us and becoming chemists themselves." -- Colin Russell, Prof. Emeritus at Open University, UK Current challenges: => minimalref erencing to original work in undergraduate texts => breeding of misconceptions and incorrect associations between pe ople and ideas => students feel detached from subject => perception of passive spectators => lack of inspiration => desensitized to self-discovery approach which is the drive of research => human dimension is lost in a deluge of facts that need to be memorized in a short time => professors become interested in history of science in “swansong” of their c ar eers Why bother with "history"? => science is a human activity Tradition of naming & scientific genealogies: => signposts of important
    [Show full text]
  • Berzelius's Lärbok I Kemienand the Order of the Chemical Substances
    Firenze University Press www.fupress.com/substantia Discovering Elements in a Scandinavian Context: Berzelius’s Lärbok i Kemien and the Citation: F. Abbri (2019) Discovering Elements in a Scandinavian Context: Order of the Chemical Substances Berzelius’s Lärbok i Kemien and the Order of the Chemical Substances. Substantia 3(2) Suppl. 5: 49-58. doi: 10.13128/Substantia-378 Ferdinando Abbri Copyright: © 2019 F. Abbri. This is DSFUCI –Università di Siena, viale L. Cittadini 33, Il Pionta, Arezzo (Italy) an open access, peer-reviewed article E-mail: [email protected] published by Firenze University Press (http://www.fupress.com/substantia) and distributed under the terms of the Abstract. During the Eighteenth century Sweden was a propitious context for the dis- Creative Commons Attribution License, covery of chemical substances and elements. At the beginning of his scientific career which permits unrestricted use, distri- Jöns Jacob Berzelius contributed by his experimental research and discoveries to the bution, and reproduction in any medi- preservation of the high scientific profile of his native country. Electrochemistry and um, provided the original author and chemical atomic theory marked Berzelius’s scientific life and organized his vision of source are credited. chemistry and his classification of substances. Berzelius used his Lärbok i Kemien to Data Availability Statement: All rel- spread his discoveries and to frame his conception of chemistry. Focusing on Berze- evant data are within the paper and its lius’s textbook of chemistry the paper tries to enlighten a specific vision of chemical Supporting Information files. science which was very influential in the first half of the XIX century.
    [Show full text]
  • Demarcation Debates Lavoisier in Germany
    Christoph Meinel Demarcation Debates Lavoisier in Germany During the 1860’s, German universities experienced the advent of a new genera- tion of »palace laboratories,« workshops designed for the mass production of chemical knowledge on a scale never before seen. These laboratories testified to the transformation of the universities into centres of experimental research, and impressively underlined Germany’s claim to leadership in the world of science., Berlin’s Chemical Laboratory, in particular, marked the culmination of represen- tation and functionality. Designed for August Wilhelm Hofmann upon his return from London, the huge building, close to the very centre of Prussian power, was one of the first of its kind to incorporate a rich sculptural programme dedicated to the history of science: a series of busts and portraits linking the lustre of tradition to chemistry’s claims to modernity.1 The distinguished personalities to be includ- ed in this gallery were chosen by a committee formed by the members of the physi- co-mathematical class of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences. On March 1st, 1866, the committee decided to decorate the entrance hall with life-sized busts of those unanimously held to be the most prominent living chemists of their time, namely Michael Faraday, Justus von Liebig and Friedrich Wöhler. More contro- versial was the choice of deceased chemists, whose portraits were to be placed in the 14 angles of the window arches alongside the front of the building. Eventually, and »not ... without a lengthy and animated discussion,«2 a list was drawn up, led by Antoine Laurent Lavoisier and followed by three of his rivals for the discovery of oxygen: Karl Wilhelm Scheele, Henry Cavendish, and Joseph Priestley.
    [Show full text]