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From Classical to Modern Chemistry: the Instrumental Revolution Book Reviews and Reports 123 History of Modern Chemistry entitled, THE REVOLUTION IN From the Test-tube to the Autoanalyzer: INSTRUMENTATION The Development of Chemical Instru- mentation in the Twentieth Century held From Classical to Modern Chemis- in August of 2000 at the Science Muse- try: The Instrumental Revolution , ed. um of London, previously reported in by PETER J. T. MORRIS , The Royal this journal ( Hyle, 7 [2001], 78-81) and Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, published in a book edited by Peter 2002, xxv + 347 pp., £75.00 [ISBN Morris, From Classical to Modern 0-85404-479-5]. Chemistry: The Instrumental Revolution (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2002) (see Daniel Rothbart’s book review in the The maxim that technological discover- present Hyle issue). ies are derived from theoretical advances In conclusion, Instruments and Exper- in pure research cannot account for the imentation in the History of Chemistry is twentieth-century revolution in instru- an important early step in recognizing mentation. The transition in research the experimental nature of our science. techniques from ‘wet chemistry’, for ex- Any rigorous investigation into chemis- ample, to a chemistry driven by the fin- try’s experimental roots must include an gerprinting techniques of electronic in- analysis of the instruments involved. strumentation had a profound effect on This is superbly summarized by ‘pure research’. More significantly, the Mauskopf when he states, “Sometimes, alleged privilege given to pure research- indeed, even conceptually separating ex- ers over instrument makers is under- perimental techniques and instruments mined as the close relationship between from theories is difficult” (p. 354). Alt- instruments and their experimental re- hough some of the included papers are sults emerges. This instrumentation presented in incomplete form, the book revolution was waged in the offices, as a whole presents a coherent analysis conference rooms, and laboratories of of its subject matter. It will make a fine the chemical industry, responsive to the addition to the bookshelf of anyone in- needs of manufacturers, government terested in the experimental aspects of agencies, and military institutions; and chemistry’s roots, as well as institutional these are the themes explored in a re- libraries. cently released work, From Classical to Modern Chemistry: The Instrumental Shawn B. Allin: Revolution . Department of Chemistry, Spring Hill All but three of the chapters in this College, Mobile, AL 36608, U.S.A.; sal- volume are revisions of presentations at [email protected] a conference held at Imperial College, London, in August 2000. The volume is well organized by the editor, PETER J. T. MORRIS , and the high level of scholarly rigor exhibited in these pages reflects the expertise of the authors. The reader will be richly rewarded by this fine work, finding depth in the case studies of various instruments and breadth in the range of ideas related to the sci- ence/technology interaction in chemis- try. Many of the instruments examined in this volume are identified as research technologies, to use TERRY SHINN ’s phrase. HYLE – International Journal for Philosophy of Chemistry, Vol. 9 (2003), No. 1. Copyright 2003 by HYLE and the authors. 124 Book Reviews and Reports The strength of the volume emanates vances in chemistry. The centrality of from the richly detailed studies of crea- instrumentation to the identity of the tive chemists, and in some cases indus- profession of chemistry is documented trialists, who hastened the instrumenta- in two chapters by DAVIS BAIRD . Ac- tion revolution. YAKOV RABKIN pro- cording to Baird, the instrumentation vides an excellent study of the discovery revolution transformed the standards and refinement of infrared spectrome- for chemical knowledge based on dis- ters born out of research in industrial coveries in the engineering of instru- companies. Between the two world ments. Chemical knowledge is judged wars, the infrared spectrometer became more on research techniques associated a commonplace tool in industry, par- with manipulating and controlling mate- ticularly in the synthetic rubber pro- rials than on the theoretical representa- gram and for petroleum refinement. tions of microscopic processes that pre- Rabkin shows how this technique also sumably provide the rationale for such became a routine tool of organic chem- techniques. Baird provides a richly de- istry, following advances by the German tailed history of Baird Associates, chemical industry before World War II founded and managed by his father, and the British and American companies Walter Baird. A well-known manufac- after the war. turer of analytical instruments, with cut- A fascinating study of NMR spec- ting edge contributions to emission and troscopy is given in a chapter by PETER infrared spectroscopy in the 1930s and MORRIS and ANTHONY TRAVIS . These 1940s, Baird Associates illustrates how authors demonstrate how the petro- the instrumentation revolution changed chemical industry worked closely with forever how scientific knowledge is ac- university centers in efforts to discover quired, and how science and technology techniques for converting certain physi- are mutually supportive. cal processes to spectra. Important ad- In another study of instrumental in- vances in NMR spectroscopy were novations, CARSTEN REINHARDT docu- achieved by scientists at Stanford, and ments the development of mass spec- independently at Harvard, immediately troscopy, motivated in large measure by after World War II, leading to a ‘para- the chemical and petroleum industries digm-shift’ in organic chemistry. The during World War II. NICOLAS RAS- central importance the chemical indus- MUSSEN explores the development of the try to breakthroughs in instrumentation electron capture detector as a case study is also documented by CHARLOTTE for broader issues in science and tech- BIGG in her study of Adam Hilger, Ltd. nology. This instrument is also exam- Under the leadership of Frank Twyman, ined in a fascinating article by PETER Hilger introduced chemists to many of MORRIS , who shows its importance for the new instruments of the century by responses to the environmental disaster discovering how to convert complex of DDT in the 1950s. LUIGI CERRUTI techniques to routine material practices provides an informative study of the in- for research. This discovery was strumental techniques of medical genet- achieved by translating practices from ics, centering on research in abnormal physics to chemistry. hemoglobin. ANTHONY TRAVIS pro- DAVID KNIGHT shows how the in- vides further documentation for the im- strumentation revolution of the 1950s portance of the chemical industry in de- and 1960s led to fundamental changes in velopments in instrumentation with his the profession of chemistry. He places study of American Cyanamid. In “Pro- the instrumentation revolution in his- duction Control Instruments in the torical perspective, reminding the reader Chemical and Process Industries”, STU- of other episodes in which innovations ART BENNETT identifies production con- in the tools of research generated ad- trol devices as an important component Book Reviews and Reports 125 of research technologies. Such devices dermined the traditional commitment to offer general insight into instrumental chemical substance as the primary sub- technologies, not merely as tools to be ject matter of research. With the revolu- exploited for research but as engineering tion in instruments, chemistry changed systems designed to solve problems of from a study of substance to a study of measurement and control. structures. How can the instrumentation revolu- PIERRE LASZLO objects to Schum- tion be explained? In many chapters, we mer’s ontologically focused explanation, read how the invention, development, arguing instead for a sobering look at and achievements of any particular in- the personal and professional motives strument are driven by social, economic, for using apparatus in general. For and in some cases political factors, giv- Laszlo, the display of laboratory tools is ing prominence to the practices of ana- rationalized by epistemic pretensions lytical chemists, industrialists, and tech- about their purpose, masking their actu- nicians. Of course, any adequate expla- al function as rhetorical devices. He de- nation of the instrumentation revolu- fines instruments as inscription devices tion should address certain important for constructing the texts of science. theoretical developments in techniques Rather than revealing the real-world for converting physical processes into properties of atoms and compounds, the spectra. The stunning technological ad- new devices are used for prestige and vances in instrumentation of the 1940s power, as chemists proudly show off and 1950s were guided by discoveries of their contraptions to visitors, or adver- the ways in which molecules are held tise their techniques to journal referees. together, bonds are formed and broken, The so-called revolution in instrumenta- and reactions occur at the molecular lev- tion enhances the mystique of research- el. In his outstanding essay, LEO SLATER ers, and perpetuates a professional myo- shows how advances in structure theory, pia, as he put it, about the rhetoric of particularly from the contributions of chemistry. Nevil Sidgwick in the 1930s and Robert Many of the authors in this book Burns Woodward in the 1940s, provided stress the need to persuade chemists, instrument makers with new cognitive whether in industry
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