Secondary Sources, Context, and Background

Chemistry: Chronologies, Dictionaries, Directories, Encyclopedias, Handbooks

Abraham, L. 1998. A Dictionary of Alchemical Imagery. NY: Cambridge University Press, 249 pp. [With index of alchemical and literary authors]

Ballentyne, D. W. G. & D. R. Lovett. 1980. A Dictionary of Named Effects and Laws in Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. 4th ed. London: Chapman and Hall, 346 pp.

Engels, S. et al., eds. 1989. ABC Geschichte der Chemie. Leipzig: VEB Deutscher Verlag fur Grundstoffindustrie, 496 pp.

Short articles on chemists and chemical concepts and substances. Includes chronologies of chemistry (1840-1986), the founding of chemical associations (1841-1970), of periodicals which include chemistry (1665-1900), of Nobel prize winners, together with an alphabetical list of chemists with birth/death dates.

Flood, W. E. 1963. The Origins of Chemical Names. London: Oldbourne, 238 pp.

Gaither, C. C. and A. E. Cavazos-Gaither. 2002. Chemically Speaking: A Dictionary of Quotations. Bristol; Philadelphia : Institute of Physics Publishing, 583 pp.

Short articles on subjects and persons with bibliographies.

Neufeldt, S. 1977. Chronologie Chemie 1800-1970. Weinheim/NY: Verlag Chemie, 359 pp.

Thackray, A. et al., eds. 1985. Chemistry in America, 1876-1976: Historical Indicators. Chemists and Chemistry. Dordrecht; Boston: D. Reidel, 564 pp.

Chemistry: Institutions and Historic Sites

Spronsen, J. W. van. 1998. Guide of European Museums with Collections on History of Chemistry. 3rd ed. Antwerp: Federation of European Chemical Societies, 139 pp. Not at Harvard

Wotiz, J. H. 1982. Chemical museums of Europe. ChemTech, v. 12, no. 4 (April), pp. 221-228.

Biographical Sources

Abbott, D. 1983. The Biographical Dictionary of Scientists. Chemists. NY: Peter Bedrick, 203 pp.
--About 3800 chemists included.

Bowden, M. E. 1997. Chemical Achievers: The Human Face of Chemistry. Philadelphia, PA: Chemical Heritage Foundation, 180 pp.
--187 heavily illustrated biographical sketches. Illustrations largely portraits, but also buildings, laboratories, eqiuipment, manuscripts, etc. Name/subject index.

Bugge, G., ed. 1979. Das Buch der grossen Chemiker. 5th ed. 2 v. Berlin: Verlag Chemie.

Chemical Genealogy Database. Entries include chemist, their teacher, students, and those known to have influenced them or have been influenced by them.

Chemical Who's Who. NY: Lewis Historical Co., 1928-56. [Title and publisher vary. 1st ed. 1928, Who's Who in the Chemical and Drug Industries]

Farber, E., ed. 1961. Great Chemists. NY: Interscience, 1642 pp.

Farber, E. 1963. Nobel Prize Winners in Chemistry, 1901-1961. Rev. ed. NY: Abelard, 341 pp.

Findley, A. & W. H. Mills, eds. 1947. British Chemists. London: Chemical Society, 431 pp. Not at Harvard

Gesellschaft fur Geschichte der Pharmazie, Berlin. 1937. Chemisch-pharmazeutisches Bio- und Bibliographikon. Ed. by Fritz Ferchl. Mittenwald (Bayern): A. Nemayer, 603 pp. Reprint, Wiesbaden: M. Sandig, 1971.

Grinstein, L. S., R. K. Rose & M. H. Rafailovich, eds. 1993. Women in Chemistry and Physics: A Biobibliographic Sourcebook. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 721 pp.

Haynes, W. 1939. Chemical Pioneers: The Founders of the American Chemical Industry. NY: Van Nostrand, 288 pp.

James, L. K., ed. 1993. Nobel Laureates in Chemistry, 1901-1992. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society & the Chemical Heritage Foundation, 798 pp.

List of Obituaries and Biographical Notes Published in:

  • Angewandte Chemie (1888-2001)
  • Chemische Berichte (1918-1997) / European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry (1998)
  • Helvetica Chimica Acta (1918-1992)
  • Liebigs Annalen (1975-1997) / European Journal of Organic Chemistry (1998-2000)

Magill, F. N. 1990. The Nobel Prize Winners: Chemistry. 3 v. Pasadena, CA: Englewood Press.

Miles, W. D. & R. F. Gould, eds. 1976, 1994. American Chemists and Chemical Engineers. 2 v. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society; Guildford, CT: Gould Books, 544, 365 pp.

Patai, R. 1994. The Jewish Alchemists: A History and Source Book. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 617 pp.

Potsch, W. R., A. Fischer & W. Muller. 1988. Lexikon bedeutender Chemiker. Leipzig: Bibliographisches Institut Leipzig, 469 pp.

Prandtl, W. 1956. Deutsche Chemiker in ersten Hälfte des 19 Jahrhunderts. Berlin: Verlag Chemie, 351 pp.

Provenzal, G. C. 1938. Profili bio-bibliografici di chimici italiani, sec. XV - sec. XIX. Roma: Istituto Nazionale Medico Farmacologico "Serono", 301 pp.

Includes biographies, portraits, and lists of primary and secondary sources for 33 chemists.

Rayner-Canham, M. F. and G. Rayner-Canham 1998. Women in Chemistry : their Changing Roles from Alchemical Times to the Mid-Twentieth Century. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society, Chemical Heritage Foundation, 284 pp.

47 biographical sketches, some with portraits, 16th-20th centuries.

Seymour, R. B. & C. H. Fisher. 1988. Profiles of Eminent American Chemists. Arvada, CO: Litarvan Literature, 519 pp. [Winners of American Institute of Chemistry awards, 1926-1988] Not at Harvard

Smith, H. M. 1949. Torchbearers of Chemistry:...With Bibliographies of Biographies. by R. E. Oesper. NY: Academic, 270 pp.

Primary Sources

Periodical Indexes

Chemisches Zentralblatt. Vollständiges Repertorium fur alle Zweige der Reinen und angewandten Chemie (title varies), 1830-1969.
LOCATION: Widener: Harvard Depository Sci 1285.52 (1830-1968)

  • Pharmaceutisches Central-blatt (1830-49) - Chemisch-pharmaceutisches Central-blatt (1850-55) - Chemisches Central-blatt (1856-1906) - Chemisches Zentralblatt (1907-69)

Engelhardt, Dietrich von, ed. 1974. Die chemischen Zeitschriften des Lorenz von Crell. (Indices naturwissenschaftlich-medizinischer Periodica bis 1850, Bd. 2) Stuttgart: A. Hiersemann, 298 pp.

International Catalogue of Scientific Literature D. Chemistry (1901-14). 14 v.