Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the 'arduous' struggle of early modern chemists for disciplinary autonomy, from around Boyle's Sceptical Chymist to Lavoisier's Elements of Chemistry. It determines the topography of the crises, the perceived challenges, and their subjects' reactions to them, supplying them with historical and intellectual background. The book traces chemical theory and practice between the two episodes, uncovering aspects that have been overshadowed by triumphalist historiography. It examines chemistry during the scientific revolution and chemistry during the chemical revolution. In both parts the argument progresses from local micro-studies to a broader institutional and intellectual evaluation. The book looks out the case studies related to Priestley's pneumatic chemistry and Richard Kirwan's defense of phlogiston, supported by an exploration of the wider community of phlogiston's and late defenders of "traditional" chemistry against the reformative program of Lavoisier and his collaborators.