This article presents an epistemological and historical analysis of the emergence and evolution of the concept of molecule, using the Ontosemiotic Approach to knowledge and instruction as its theoretical framework. From this perspective, the meaning of the term ‘molecule’ is understood not as a fixed definition but pragmatically: as a system of operative and discursive practices directed towards solving specific problems in historically situated contexts. Through a diachronic study, the paper identifies and characterizes a series of partial meanings of the concept, from Dalton’s compound particles and the Avogadro–Cannizzaro distinction between atoms and molecules to the structural representations of organic chemistry and contemporary quantum-mechanical treatments, together with the hybrid configurations that connect the last two. It then examines how these partial meanings are articulated into a holistic meaning of the concept, bringing out the discontinuities, semiotic mediations and shifts in ontological commitments that have shaped its development. The study thus shows how the Ontosemiotic Approach can be used to analyse the plurality of meanings of chemical concepts and their coexistence in practice, and it suggests hypotheses for teaching the concept of molecule that remain to be tested empirically.
Life as we know it on Earth is anchored by four fundamental classes of biological macromolecules. These pivotal, carbon-based molecular pillars include proteins (based on amino acid), DNA and RNA (whose “letters” are represented by nucleobases), lipids and carbohydrates. The last named form the backbone of DNA and RNA and play a fundamental role in metabolic processes. One of the main questions about the origins of life is how these molecules formed.
Peter Griess was probably the chemist who exercised both sides of his profession with equal effectiveness: the rigorous researcher, and the industrial chemist, carrying out his duties with absolute seriousness and efficiency. After a rather hectic period in life, Griess began a scientific activity of extreme importance in Organic Chemistry: the discovery and study of diazonium salts, and work with dyes, aromatic compounds, and other nitrogenous compounds, an activity carried out mostly outside the academic context. His practical activity in the brewing industry is less publicized, due to professional secrecy, but no less interesting and varied. This dual activity is presented in the historical context in which it occurred, whenever possible based on primary sources.
The ethics of chemistry occupies an uncomfortable position in the landscape of applied ethics. Even though a significant proportion of the moral challenges generated by contemporary molecular intervention are, at their root, chemical — produced by chemistry's characteristic capacity to decompose, recombine, and produce matter in novel configurations — the living space of ethics of chemistry has been systematically colonised by bioethics, ethics of technology, and public policy discourse. This paper argues that this colonisation reflects a structural misalignment: bioethics is constituted at the level of application rather than at the level of the founding conditions of molecular intervention. To address this gap, the paper proposes the concept of chemethics — an ethics of a type of intervention rather than a disciplinary or professional ethics, applicable wherever chemistry's constitutive agenda operates. Drawing on the genealogy of molecularism, the alchemical dream of total transformation, and the philosophy of chemistry, the paper develops three principles of chemethics — the underdetermination principle, the levels principle, and the limit principle — understood as second-order constraints on any adequate ethics of molecular intervention. The paper concludes that chemethics and bioethics are complementary frameworks: the former addressing the founding conditions of molecular intervention, the latter the application-level questions that arise from them.
Electroadhesion has emerged as a promising mechanism in a growing range of applications, from smart adhesives and wall-climbing robots to robo grippers that reversibly grip or release objects with the flick of a switch. The development of autonomous and adaptive electroadhesive systems—capable of adjusting to varying materials and environmental conditions—represents a promising frontier in material science and robotics. These innovations are powered by electrostatic forces first observed millennia ago in rubbed amber. This article offers a synthetic and historically informed account tracing the evolution from early electrostatic observations to contemporary smart adhesive materials and robotic applications. Beyond consulting indexed journal articles, we engage in Socratic-style dialogue with ChatGPT to tap into its broad training corpus. This method helps uncover overlooked historical threads, cross-disciplinary linkages, and thematic continuities spanning centuries. In doing so, we also reflect on the emerging role of large language model (LLM) in scientific historiography. Our collaboration with ChatGPT not only shapes the structure of this narrative but also serves as a case study in how LLM can support integrative, cross-disciplinary writing in the history of material chemistry and technology.
