The Dual Conception of the Chemical ElementEpistemic Aspects and Implications for Chemical Education

2020 ◽  
pp. 257-280
Author(s):  
Elena Ghibaudi ◽  
Alberto Regis ◽  
Ezio Roletto
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Analysis ◽  
Atomic Number ◽  
Chemical Element ◽  
Chemical Change ◽  
Chemical Education ◽  
Educational Context ◽  
Material Body ◽  
Chemical Concept ◽  
Definition Of

In the present work, the notion of chemical element is analyzed from the perspective of chemical education. Chemists refer to elements either as the final term of chemical analysis (i.e., simple substances) or as what persists in a chemical change. This duality has deep historical roots and it is sanctioned by IUPAC’s definition of chemical element. Nevertheless, it is inherently contradictory and it may result in deep misunderstandings in the educational context. After discussing the problems raised by the identification of the element with any material body—either macroscopic or microscopic—we analyze a number of definitions of elements, proposed by chemists, epistemologists, and educators. After pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of such definitions, we argue that the chemical element is a unifying chemical concept that designates an abstract category, identified by the atomic number.

Heavy, Superheavy . . . Quo Vadis?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J. Karol
Keyword(s):  
Atomic Number ◽  
Periodic Table ◽  
Chemical Element ◽  
Chemical Elements ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Superheavy Element ◽  
Electron Shell ◽  
Heavy Elements ◽  
Quo Vadis ◽  
Definition Of

Uranium was Discovered in 1789 by the German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth in pitchblende ore from Joachimsthal, a town now in the Czech Republic. Nearly a century later, the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev placed uranium at the end of his periodic table of the chemical elements. A century ago, Moseley used x-ray spectroscopy to set the atomic number of uranium at 92, making it the heaviest element known at the time. This chapter will deal with the quest to explore that limit and heavy and superheavy elements, and provide an update on where continuation of the periodic table is headed and some of the significant changes in its appearance and interpretation that may be necessary. Our use of the term “heavy elements” differs from that of astrophysicists who refer to elements above helium as heavy elements. The meaning of the term “superheavy” element is still not exactly agreed upon and has changed over the past several decades. “Ultraheavy” is occasionally used. Interestingly, there is no formal definition of “periodic table” by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) in their glossary of definitions: the “Gold Book.” But there are plenty of definitions in the general literature—including Wikipedia, the collaborative, free, internet encyclopedia which calls the “periodic table” a “tabular arrangement of the chemical elements, organized on the basis of their atomic numbers, electron configurations (electron shell model), and recurring chemical properties. Elements are presented in order of increasing atomic number (the number of protons in the nucleus).” IUPAC’s first definition of a “chemical element” is: “A species of atoms; all atoms with the same number of protons in the atomic nucleus.” Their definition of atom: “the smallest particle still characterizing a chemical element. It consists of a nucleus of positive charge (Z is the proton number and e the elementary charge) carrying almost all its mass (more than 99.9%) and Z electrons determining its size.”

What Is A Chemical Element?

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Periodic Table ◽  
Chemical Element ◽  
Abstract Concept ◽  
International Union ◽  
Applied Chemistry ◽  
Educational Levels ◽  
Unique Position ◽  
Current State ◽  
Element Carbon ◽  
Definition Of

The term “element” is typically used in two distinct senses. First it is taken to mean isolated simple substances such as the green gas chlorine or the yellow solid sulphur. In some languages, including English, it is also used to denote an underlying abstract concept that subsumes simple substances but possesses no properties as such. The allotropes and isotopes of carbon, for example, all represent elements in the sense of simple substances. However, the unique position for the element carbon in the periodic table refers to the abstract sense of “element.” The dual definition of elements proposed by the International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry contrasts an abstract meaning and an operational one. Nevertheless, the philosophical aspects of this notion are not fully captured by the IUPAC definition, despite the fact that they were crucial for the construction of the periodic table. This pivotal chemical notion remains ambiguous and such ambiguity raises problems at the epistemic, logical, and educational levels. These aspects are discussed throughout the book, from different perspectives. This collective book provides an overview of the current state of the debate on the notion of chemical element. Its authors are historians of chemistry, philosophers of chemistry, and chemists with epistemological and educational concerns.

scholarly journals Dez pontos sobre apresentações de slides, suas características e implicações para a prática docente

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (33) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Renata Amorim Cadena ◽  
Solange Galvão Coutinho
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Psychology ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
Educational Context ◽  
Education Management ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Slide Shows

In this article, we describe important aspects of slide shows in ten topics, which involve: (a) the definition of this artefact; (b) its characteristics, linked to its historical development; (c) some criticism and problems in its structure and use; (d) results of empirical research regarding its use in an educational context; and (e) recommendations for improved practices in designing slideshows. The source of data was extracted from a literature review of several articles and books mainly from the areas of Education, Management and Cognitive Psychology.

Of 'Medals and Muddles' the context of the discovery of Thallium: William Crookes's early spectro-chemical work

1984 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-90 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Process ◽  
Chemical Element ◽  
Historical Event ◽  
Pure Element ◽  
Chemical Work ◽  
Complex Series ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Elemental Nature ◽  
Individual Choices ◽  
Agreed Definition

It might be supposed that the discovery of a chemical element was a reason ably straightforward historical event which could be described in a few pages. Indeed in his biography of William Crookes (1), E. E. F. D ’Albe describes Crookes’s 1861 discovery o f thallium in just under six pages (2). Yet if we simply consider the science which was involved in Crookes’s work on thallium a complex series of events emerge. The presence of thallium had first to be detected, next a chemical process was undertaken to verify its elemental nature and finally a quantity of the pure element had to be isolated. In the 1860s there was no generally agreed definition of what constituted the discovery of a chemical element — detection, verification or isolation. But in the case of thallium individuals often argued strongly for one of these definitions. Such individual choices were not arbitrary, but were directed, as we shall see, towards serving their interests. To understand their choices, therefore, we cannot simply consider only the science, when discussing the discovery of thallium, but we also have to examine and define the context in which work on thallium was conducted.

From Simple Substance to Chemical Element

2020 ◽  
pp. 32-52
Author(s):  
Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Periodic System ◽  
Chemical Element ◽  
Traditional View ◽  
Modern Concept ◽  
Simple Substance ◽  
System P ◽  
Conceptual Distinction ◽  
Definition Of

The introduction of the modern concept of chemical element has often been credited to Lavoisier. I will argue that despite the significant impact of the definition of elements as non-decompound bodies in Lavoisier’s “Elements of Chemistry,” this claim is misleading for at least three reasons. First, elements were already defined as residues of analysis prior to Lavoisier. Second, Lavoisier did not totally give up the traditional view of elements as constituents of all bodies. Third, the modern definition of chemical element implies a clear distinction between simple bodies and elements that was later introduced by Dmitri Mendeleev. I will outline the role of this conceptual distinction in Mendeleev’s process of classification of elements and symmetrically emphasize how the periodic system contributed to stabilize his notion of element as an individual defined by its position in the system. Thus the concept of element appears as both a precondition and a product of the construction of the periodic system.

Charles Glover Barkla, 1877-1944

1947 ◽  
Vol 5 (15) ◽  
pp. 341-366 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Electromagnetic Wave ◽  
Atomic Number ◽  
Chemical Element ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Atomic Weight ◽  
New Method ◽  
X Rays

The name of Barkla will always be distinguished on account of his fundamental researches on Rontgen rays. In 1905 he made the discovery that scattered X-rays are polarized, but only to a certain degree. He also established the fact that each chemical element can radiate Röntgen rays having properties characteristic of that element, and in this way he anticipated the assignment to each element of an ‘atomic number’, the number being, in general, about one-half the atomic weight. For these discoveries he was admitted a Fellow of the Society in 1912, his investigations having resulted in the most important additions to our knowledge of the Röntgen rays since their discovery. Barkla consistently adopted the electromagnetic wave or pulse theory of the nature of the rays. At the end of the year 1912, von Laue put forward his theory of the diffraction of X-rays by transmission through a crystal regarded as a three-dimensional grating, thus introducing an entirely new’ method of investigation.

scholarly journals La danza en el ámbito de educativo (Dance in the Educational Context)

Retos ◽  
2015 ◽  
pp. 42-45
Author(s):  
Gregorio Vicente Nicolás ◽  
Nuria Ureña Ortín ◽  
Manuel Gómez López ◽  
Jesús Carrillo Vigueras
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Training ◽  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
Emotional Development ◽  
Dance Education ◽  
Educational Context ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Education Movement ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Definition Of

El presente trabajo ofrece una visión general del fenómeno de la danza en el ámbito de la educación. En un primer momento se realiza una exposición de los diferentes componentes o aspectos del ser humano sobre los que la danza incide de forma más evidente. Posteriormente se presenta una revisión de las definiciones propuestas por diferentes autores que consideramos más relevantes y se incluye una definición propia del concepto. También se destacan las aportaciones de la danza a la educación desde el punto de vista social, físico, intelectual y afectivo y se señalan los mayores problemas que esta disciplina ha tenido para ser incluida como una materia más: falta de formación del profesorado, falta de recursos y espacios adecuados y discriminación de género. Finalmente, se concluye con una reflexión sobre las formas de danzas más adecuadas en el ámbito educativo.Palabra clave: danza, baile, educación, movimiento, expresión corporal.Abstract: This paper provides an overview of the phenomenon of dance in the field of education. At first, it is made a presentation of the different components or aspects of human beings on that dance impacts in a more obvious way. Subsequently, we present a review of the definitions proposed by different authors that we consider most relevant and it is included a personal definition of the concept. It also highlights the contributions of dance to education in terms of social, physical, intellectual and emotional development and identifies the major problems that this discipline has had to be included as a subject: lack of teacher training, lack of adequate space and resources and gender discrimination. Finally, it concludes with a reflection on the most appropriate forms of dance in the educational context.Key words: dance, education, movement, corporal expressión.

scholarly journals Lifespan and Decomposition Effects of 1st and 3 rd Generation Silicon Solar Cell with respect to Environment and Health

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadaf Faryal ◽  
Amjad Ali ◽  
Abdul Hameed Memon
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Atomic Number ◽  
Chemical Element ◽  
Silicon Solar Cell ◽  
Silicon Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
The Past ◽  
Environment And Health

— Utilization of solar photovoltaic is increasing dayby day to reduce dependence on the power grid. Decompositionof 1st and 3rd generation silicon solar cells not only depends uponthe plastic and other materials but also the hazardous elementmainly used as their character on the bases of which they arecategorized as 1st , 2nd and 3rd contemporaries solar cells. Theseingredient are mostly carcinogenic and some of them having lifespan of more than 100 years. After abjection of solar cells, theyremain in the soil for many years and cause serious problem toland environment and also responsible for causing carcinogenicdisease in human and other living beings. This paper exploresdecomposition rates of the chemical element mainly used in 1stand 3rd generation solar cells throughout the past years, possibleenvironmental and health effects by the hazardous elements usedin them typically silicon (atomic number 14) and focusing onpossible suggested solutions or alternatives.

scholarly journals EFFECTS OF VOLATILE ORGANIC ALKILNYTRITIS COMPOUNDS ON THE ORGANISM AND THE POSSIBILITY OF THEIR FORENSIC CHEMICAL DETECTING

2019 ◽  
pp. 534-539
Author(s):  
D. Sopin
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Analysis ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Diagnostic Value ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Mass Selective Detector ◽  
Psychotropic Substances ◽  
Alkyl Nitrites ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Alkyl Nitrite

The article reviews and summarizes theoretical issues related to the abuse of inhalants, provides data on the pharmacological and toxic effects, the legal status of the substances under study, the chemical analysis of alkyl nitrites. The risk to human health is associated with the ability of alkyl nitrites to cause methemoglobin, changes in organs and systems, including myocardial dystrophy, chronic inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. The use of isopropyl nitrite can cause damage to the retina, maculapathy. ”Poppers” is a subgroup of volatile substances – alkyl nitrites, represented by compounds or mixtures and contain more than one alkyl nitrite, mainly: butyl nitrite, isobutyl nitrite or amyl nitrite, isopentyl nitrite, or 2-methyl butyl nitrite. On the Internet market they are presented under the following slang names: amyls, hardware, liquid gold, locker room, rock hard, rush, snapper, TNT . Chemico-toxicological analysis is carried out by chromatography methods – the vapor phase analysis with identification on a flame-ionization or mass-selective detector is used. Blood, in cases of deadly intoxication, lung tissue are the best objects. One of the signs of using alkyl nitrites is the formation of methemoglobin, the definition of which has an important diagnostic value. Joint detection of metabolites of alkyl nitrites and methemoglobin may indicate the possible use of alkyl nitrites. The legal status of alkyl nitrites in most countries varies from free use to medical prescription sales. In the Republic of Kazakhstan, alkyl nitrites are not under the control of the law “On Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, Their Analogues and Precursors, and Measures to Counteract Their Illicit Circulation and Abuse”. Their abuse is a concern because of their detrimental health effects. Key words: alkyl nitrite, toxicomania, poppers, methemoglobinemia, maculopathy, forensic expertise, research, chemical analysis.

scholarly journals Definición de alfabetización informacional de CILIP, 2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dora Sales
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Educational Context ◽  
Spanish Translation ◽  
Alfabetización Informacional ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Definition Of Information

Se traduce al castellano la nueva definición de alfabetización informacional de CILIP (Reino Unido), cuyo original se publicó en 2018. Se trata de una definición con enorme potencial, que enfatiza la relevancia de la ALFIN en la sociedad actual, para todas las personas, no sólo en el contexto educativo. This is the Spanish translation of the new CILIP (United Kingdom) definition of information literacy, originally published in 2018. It is a definition with enormous potential, which enhances the relevance of IL in today's society, for all people, not only in the educational context.

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