Justifying instrumental techniques of analytical chemistry.
In this paper, we argue that the foundations of chemistry rely as much on the methods of measurement as they do on categories of chemical substance. To some degree, chemists perform the work of knowledge engineering: designing complex systems for the efficient retrieval of information. Indeed, in some cases, methods of instrumental detection move to the forefront of attention. For example, researchers are expected to deploy optimization methods designed to maximize desired signal and minimize the damaging effects of noise. But in his important contributions to the development of high-resolution NMR spectrometers, Hans Primas used stochastic methods to reveal beneficial effects of noise for characterizing physical systems, demonstrating the value of noisy signals for nonlinear physical systems in chemistry.
Rothbart
Daniel
D
Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, USA. drothbar@gmu.edu
Kohout
Ladislav
L