| Preface |
| Acknowledgements |
| Introduction: Chemistry and its Discontents / Chapter 1： |
| The Philosophy of Chemistry |
| The Image of Chemistry |
| The Goals of the Book |
| The Structure of the Book |
| Chemistry and Pollution / Chapter 2： |
| Chemical versus Natural |
| Chemistry in Literature |
| Silent Spring |
| "Better Things for Better Living … Through Chemistry" |
| Abundance and Waste |
| Courting Disaster |
| Artificial or Natural? |
| The Damnation of the Alchemist / Chapter 3： |
| Magicians or Charlatans |
| In Defence of Artifice |
| Faustian Ambitions |
| From Extracts to Ersatz |
| Pure and Applied Chemistry |
| Artefacts as Hybrids of Nature and Society |
| The Space of the Laboratory / Chapter 4： |
| Chemical Recipe Books |
| A Space of Toil |
| Seeing at a Glance |
| A Purified Space |
| A Social Space |
| An Instrumental Space |
| Proof in the Laboratory / Chapter 5： |
| Chemical Experiment as Public Spectacle |
| Instruments of Decision |
| The Power of Scepticism |
| The Price of Proof |
| The Limits of Proof |
| Chemistry Creates its Object / Chapter 6： |
| The Different Meanings of Synthesis |
| From Simple to Complex |
| From Fictions to Artefacts |
| A Creative Process |
| A Duel Between Two Conceptions of Matter / Chapter 7： |
| The Ancient Concept of Phusis |
| Atoms versus Elements: Two Rival Systems |
| Is Chemistry Aristotelian? |
| The Aporia of the Mixt |
| Mixes or Compounds, Stahl or Lavoisier |
| A Vexing Question |
| Chemistry versus Physics / Chapter 8： |
| To Each Science its Ontology |
| The Ultimate Quest |
| No Matter Without Qualities |
| No Matter Without Agency |
| Atoms or Elements / Chapter 9： |
| Mendeleev's Wager |
| Renewing Mendeleev's Wager |
| Who's Afraid of Reductionism? |
| Between the Macro and the Micro |
| .Positivism and Chemistry / Chapter 10： |
| A Variety of Positivisms |
| Chemistry as the Model for Positive Science |
| Positivism as an Obstacle? |
| Positivism versus Realism |
| Atoms as Fictions / Chapter 11： |
| Writing Formulae |
| Types and Models |
| Agnostic Atomism |
| Atoms as Mediators |
| The Phenomenalist Response |
| The Instrumentalist Response |
| The Energetist Response |
| Agency and Relations / Chapter 12： |
| Elements as Actors |
| Operational Realism |
| Alternative Metaphors |
| Taming the Nanoworld / Chapter 13： |
| Bottom-Up versus Top-Down |
| Rational Design |
| Bio-Inspired Chemistry |
| The Return of Chemistry's Faustian Ambitions |
| The Rise of Chemistry's Philosophical Ambitions |
| Towards a Responsible Chemistry / Chapter 14： |
| Concerns About the Future |
| From Chemist's Creed to Code of Conduct |
| From Prudence to Precaution |
| A New Chemical Culture? |
| Bibliography |
| Index |
| Preface |
| Acknowledgements |
| Introduction: Chemistry and its Discontents / Chapter 1： |
| The Philosophy of Chemistry |
| The Image of Chemistry |
| The Goals of the Book |
