Chemistry is not a science?

[John Cooper <jcooper@BUCKNELL.EDU>]

At 07:21 PM 05/14/2001 -0400, Herbert H Gottlieb wrote:

> Is Chemistry still considered to be a science?
>
> Now that the periodic table is mostly complete and the
> properties and synthesis of elements and compounds
> are well known,

   The second half of the clause, "Now that ... well known"
is so fallacious as to be laughable.

> should we still consider chemistry to be a science?
>  If so, should we allow students to set up chemical
> experiments with controls to find out what happens
> in unknown situations?

    That's pretty much what happens in undergraduate
chemical research these days, Herb.

    The discussion of Toback and Nolan are clear descriptions
of attempts to design synthetic procedures that minimize
the distribution of noxious by-products in the environment,
a laudable effort but by no means all that chemists do,
or teach.   Basically if the answers were so "well known",
why would so many of us being struggling to figure them
out?
     Cheers,



John N. Cooper
Chemistry Department
Bucknell University
Lewisburg PA 17837
jcooper@bucknell.edu
http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/jcooper
VOX 570-577-3673   FAX 570-577-1739