Book Reading Update - Fontana History of Chemistry Chap 8

With the emergence of a huge amount of chemical information, chemists put an effort into publishing dictionaries and other compendiums that provided a comprehensive view of the natural histories and properties of known chemical substances known up to that point.  The author, in particular singled out J.S. Muspratt’s Chemistry Theoretical, Practical, and Analytical as probably the most comprehensive and well-used publication, distinctive in its coverage of the practice of chemical technology “from acetic acid, alcohol, alum, and ammonia through to varnish water, wine and zinc”.  Two chemical industries that ushered the growth of commercial chemistry were highlighted: the production of alkali and synthetic dyestuffs and pharmaceuticals later on.

“During the first half of the nineteenth century, and even later, the alkali industry was the chemical industry,” (Hardie and Pratt, History of the Modern Chemical Industry (1966)).  The Leblanc alkali process dominated the scene for providing a workable synthetic pathway for sodium carbonate from sodium chloride.  This was replaced by the Solvay process later on which proved to be less wasteful and cheaper.  It was recognized even then that "the problems faced by the alkali industry, whether the Leblanc or Solvay processes, were essentially those of engineering rather than chemistry", citing such challenges as reducing and recycling waste, making safe dangerous procedures involving chemicals, and scaling laboratory design.

In the development of dyestuff synthetic chemistry, Hoffman was highlighted as a major player, with the author pointing out that all his students became dyestuff chemists.  The synthesis of dyesuff became a very lucrative industry that also led to the discovery of synthetic methods for pharmaceuticals. There was a relatively lengthy discussion of potential reasons for why Great Britain lost its hegemony on dyestuff industry to Germany, pointing out that, perhaps, one reason was that, unlike their British counterparts, Hoffman's German students (Hoffman taught in Britain and moved to Germany later on) placed great importance on continued chemical research based n Kekule's theory of structure as the secret to the commercial success of German chemical industries.

Toward the end, the author concludes the chapter with a brief commentary on the debate between a theory or practice-based education of chemists, reiterating that, in the end, engineering was also an important consideration.