A collection of biographical sketches of important and interesting chemists, dating back to the 1800s.
Written as a result of an American Chemical Society symposium.
This book is a collection of essays, written by an international group of historians of chemistry, about some of the most interesting chemists dating back into the 18th century. The contributing authors are well-established biographers, and their subjects make a diverse cast of chemistry characters. Among the chemists covered are Robert Bunsen, Joseph Black, John Dalton, Lucretia Borgia, William Crookes, and Humphry Davy. These chemists come from all over the world, and from different eras. Together, this collection truly is a celebration of the wide range of personalities and characters that have worked in chemistry over the centuries.

Preface
1. Introduction: The Humanity of Chemistry
Seth C. Rasmussen and Gary D. Patterson
2. Robert Bunsen>’s Sweet Tooth
William B. Jensen
3. Who Was the Real Joseph Black?
Robert Anderson
4. The Quaker Rustic as Natural Philosopher: John Dalton and His Social Context
Alan J. Rocke
5. The Chemistry of Lucrezia Borgia et al.
Cathy Cobb
6. Chemical Characters: Sir William Crookes (1832?1919)
William H. Brock
7. It>’s a Gas! Sir Humphry Davy and His Pneumatic Investigations
Seth C. Rasmussen
8. Historical Chemists in Fiction
Carmen J. Giunta
9. Yegor Yegorovich Vagner (1849?1903): A <"Wondrously Sharpwitted>" Chemist
David E. Lewis
10. Martian Chemists and Characters
Balazs Hargittai and Istvan Hargittai
11. George Rosenkranz: A Full-Range <"Chemical Character>"
James G. Traynham
12. Paul John Flory: Physical Chemist and Humanitarian
Gary D. Patterson
Editors>’ Biographies
Author Index
Subject Index