It is often noted that when we say basic science it mostly connotes physics and mathematics. Biology and chemistry are often not considered “basic” enough. In particular chemistry has long suffered the moniker of “impure science”; this is a result of its unfortunate connection to alchemy in ancient times. Interestingly mankind’s first foray into actual science was via the activities of cooking. Well, that is pure chemistry. No one knew of atoms or fundamental particles then and yet folks experimented a great deal in this ancient art of “cookery”. Indeed, then chemistry is the fundamental science even predating mathematics and physics. It may be argued that its diversion into the hands of alchemists gave it the reputation of shaky foundations often bordering on magic and trickery. Even Newton was a closet alchemist. Only late 18th and 19th century pioneers such as Lavoisier, Boyle, Thompson, and Priestly put it on sound foundations. 20th century has really taken chemistry into the realm of biology, physiology and medicine. So now even the basic elements of Life is cast in terms of chemical principles. Thus, everything that mankind depends on now rests on the foundational science we call chemistry.

“Laboratory” is an isolated place for labor and first used by alchemists, later by chemists and only in the 17th century did other disciplines use laboratories for their work.  Chemistry cannot be learned just by reading books; it is a practical discipline and needs “apprenticeship” as practiced by most modern chemists. It has its epistemological originality in that “theory” is not what drives it. So chemistry has its unwanted reputation as an “empirical” science and not an “exact” science. Since chemical knowledge is learned by experience, it is personal and not impersonal as other branches of science, notably physics and mathematics.

Chemistry became a “mature” science in the 18th century at the hands of folks like Lavoisier who said, “…..as chemistry advances towards perfection, by dividing and subdividing, it is impossible to say where it is to end”. As many citizen scientists gradually became modern chemists, the whole of science was re-organized in the 19th century.  Thus, began the golden age of chemistry which regained its status as a “fundamental” science by the late 20th century. So fundamental is it that Mendeleev created his periodic table of elements even when much of “fundamental” physics was being constructed.

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