LAURENT, AUGUSTE. - INTRODUCING THE "NUCLEUS THEORY" IN CHEMISTRY.

Recherches diverses de Chimie organique. (+) Suite des Recherches diverses de Chimie organique.

Paris, Crochard, 1836. 8vo. Contemp. hcalf. Raised bands, gilt spine. A few scratches to spine. In: "Annales de Chimie et de Physique, Par MM. Gay-Lussac et Arago.", 2e Series, Tome 66. 448 pp. a. 1 folded engraved plate. (Entire volume offered). Laurent's papers: pp. 136-213 a. pp. 314-335. Internally fine and clean.

First printing of Laurent's long paper in which he tried to develope the rules of substitution into a chemical system oforganic compounds, the "Nucleus theory". Laurent is considered one of the most importent chemists in the 18th century

His first theoretical efforts were largely taxonomic in character. He then began to develop a pictorial model based on atomistic representations as considered by earlier French crystallographers. Laurent’s "nucleus theory" or "theory of derived radicals"located every substance at the intersection of two kinds of transformations: substitutions, which operate on the matter inside the fundamental radical and do not affect its general chemical behavior, and external modifications, which influence various chemical functions. (DSB).

"In his studies of the derivatives of naphtalene, Laurent was impressed by the fact the the fundamental properties of these compounds remained, in spite of the various substitutions which took place in them. A certain nucleus seemed to impose its properties on all its derivatives. This nucleus theory was the basis for the unitary which was specifically formulated by Gerhardt."(Leicester & Klickstein "A Source Book in Chemistry", p. 345).

The volume contains other notable papers by Regnault, D'Arcet, Chevreuil, Rose, Gay-Lussac and Carlo Matteucci's importent memoir "Sur la Propagation du Courant Electriques dans les Liquides", pp. 225-313.

Order-nr.: 47788