[Athena] ESHS: Appel à communication Lisbonne 4-6 septembre 2014

[dymfau2 <dymfau2 AT orange.fr>]

6th International Conference of European Society of History of Science, Lisbon, Portugal, 4–6 September 2014

Call for Papers for a session 
 - Deadline: 31 December 2013

Pauling’s « Nature of chemical bond » 
in post WWII  European chemical curricula

    The American chemist Linus Pauling began investigating the forces that held together atoms to form molecules using quantum physics in a series of articles published between 1931 and 1933. His quantum mechanical approach was further developed and later disseminated through his ground-breaking textbook “The Nature of the Chemical Bond” published in 1939, soon to be followed by a second revised edition in 1940. Considered a milestone in theoretical chemistry in the late 1940s already, its circulation in Europe was however hindered by World War II and the subsequent partition of the Old Continent in two blocks that added to the natural inertia of scientific curriculum to novelty. As a consequence, in some places it could take a generation before the implications of this new approach was fully incorporated into the scientific and teaching communities.
    This session aspires to explore how the appropriation developed, and how local cultures of chemistry and indigenous teaching policies and traditions adapted the main principles of Pauling´s quantum approach to chemical bond to their chemistry curricula at the higher education level, including continuing education.
    To that aim, a survey of the many translations (who, when, where, why and for whom?) of the “The Nature of the Chemical Bond” may serve as a starting point for analysis. Likewise, studies of the translations and uses of Pauling’s textbook “General Chemistry”, the spreading of which further served to establish the new description of chemical bonding, can add further knowledge about the spread of Pauling’s ideas. The session furthermore welcomes analysis of the incorporation of Pauling’s ideas into textbooks and syllabi, as well and studies of the impact of personal contacts. Young chemists were indeed sent abroad and became vectors of the novelty they were eager to put into practise in their own teaching and research.

    We welcome papers presenting case studies of the various local response to Pauling’s “Nature of the Chemical Bond” in all European countries, both those considered as central and peripheral.

If you would like to contribute please send your abstract (250, max. 300 words) to: vantiggelen AT memosciences.be no later than 31 December.

Brigitte Van Tiggelen (Mémosciences and Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-neuve)

Danielle Fauque (GHDSO University Paris Sud, and Club d’histoire de la chimie, SCF, Paris)

Gisela Boeck (Institut für Chemie, Universität Rostock, Rostock)

Annette Lykknes (Programme for Teacher Education (PLU), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim)