Steve Cohen
@drstevecohen.bsky.social
Chemical history🧪 (podcast “The History of Chemistry”; book “O Mg! How Chemistry Came to Be”)/Author/Jewish music/Yiddish (raised 2 Yiddish-speaking children)/Calligraphy/Genealogy/Etc. Attempts to argue that science isn’t real get you blocked.
November 9 was the 138th anniversary of Svante Arrhenius’s “On the Dissociation of Substances Dissolved in Water,” Z. Phys. Chem., I, 637 (1887), describing how electrolytes break up into ions in aqueous solution. #ChemSky 🧪 Read the short paper here: www.chemteam.info/Chem-History...
ChemTeam: Arrhenius dissociation article
www.chemteam.info
November 11, 2025 at 2:53 AM
November 9 was the 138th anniversary of Svante Arrhenius’s “On the Dissociation of Substances Dissolved in Water,” Z. Phys. Chem., I, 637 (1887), describing how electrolytes break up into ions in aqueous solution. #ChemSky 🧪 Read the short paper here: www.chemteam.info/Chem-History...
Found this quote last
Night in Jack McDevitt’s sci-fi novel “Infinity Beach” (1997). Posting it for, um, no reason.
Night in Jack McDevitt’s sci-fi novel “Infinity Beach” (1997). Posting it for, um, no reason.
November 6, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Found this quote last
Night in Jack McDevitt’s sci-fi novel “Infinity Beach” (1997). Posting it for, um, no reason.
Night in Jack McDevitt’s sci-fi novel “Infinity Beach” (1997). Posting it for, um, no reason.
60 years ago this month, Woodward and Hoffmann published their famous letter to the Editor of JACS on “Orbital Symmetries and Orientational Effects in a Sigmatropic Reaction.” #ChemSky 🧪 roaldhoffmann.com/sites/defaul...
roaldhoffmann.com
October 30, 2025 at 8:00 PM
60 years ago this month, Woodward and Hoffmann published their famous letter to the Editor of JACS on “Orbital Symmetries and Orientational Effects in a Sigmatropic Reaction.” #ChemSky 🧪 roaldhoffmann.com/sites/defaul...
131 years ago this month, George Stoney proposed the "atom of electricity," or "electron," linking it to the production of electromagnetic waves. The paper appeared in Phil. Mag. in Oct 1894. #ChemSky 🧪 (Note his use of "chemical atom".) Read it here: todayinsci.com/S/Stoney_Geo...
George Johnston Stoney - Of the Electron, or Atom of Electricity
todayinsci.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:43 PM
131 years ago this month, George Stoney proposed the "atom of electricity," or "electron," linking it to the production of electromagnetic waves. The paper appeared in Phil. Mag. in Oct 1894. #ChemSky 🧪 (Note his use of "chemical atom".) Read it here: todayinsci.com/S/Stoney_Geo...
151 years ago this month, J Willard Gibbs published part I of his famous thermodynamic treatment of chemistry in the obscure “Trans Conn Acad Arts Sci”. #ChemSky 🧪Read it here: library.si.edu/digital-libr...
On the equilibrium of heterogeneous substances : first [-second] part
library.si.edu
October 17, 2025 at 9:25 PM
151 years ago this month, J Willard Gibbs published part I of his famous thermodynamic treatment of chemistry in the obscure “Trans Conn Acad Arts Sci”. #ChemSky 🧪Read it here: library.si.edu/digital-libr...
101 years ago this month, Edmund Stoner published "The Distribution of Electrons among Atomic Levels" in Phil. Mag., the first decent description of the Bohr model atom with quantum numbers--soon leading to the postulation of electron spin. #ChemSky 🧪 Read it here: www.chemteam.info/Chem-History...
Stoner on Electron Filling
www.chemteam.info
October 10, 2025 at 7:42 PM
101 years ago this month, Edmund Stoner published "The Distribution of Electrons among Atomic Levels" in Phil. Mag., the first decent description of the Bohr model atom with quantum numbers--soon leading to the postulation of electron spin. #ChemSky 🧪 Read it here: www.chemteam.info/Chem-History...
My latest calligraphic work, the Birkat HaZan: gouache on watercolor paper, scheduled for installation in my dining room. #art #calligraphy #Jewish
September 26, 2025 at 8:33 PM
My latest calligraphic work, the Birkat HaZan: gouache on watercolor paper, scheduled for installation in my dining room. #art #calligraphy #Jewish
On this date in 1861, Alexander Butlerov gave a talk “Einiges über die chemische Structur der Körper,” printed in Zeit. Chem. Phys., perhaps the first time “chemical structure” was used. #ChemSky 🧪 Read a translation here: web.lemoyne.edu/giunta/butle...
Butlerov
web.lemoyne.edu
September 19, 2025 at 9:14 PM
On this date in 1861, Alexander Butlerov gave a talk “Einiges über die chemische Structur der Körper,” printed in Zeit. Chem. Phys., perhaps the first time “chemical structure” was used. #ChemSky 🧪 Read a translation here: web.lemoyne.edu/giunta/butle...
Given I know a little about science communication, I am happy to share this commentary by my grad-school housemate. pubs.aip.org/physicstoday...
Commentary: A defense of science communication
It’s easy to believe that the US scientific community is in crisis. The daily news is full of stories about cuts in funding and oppressive visa restrictions. Or
pubs.aip.org
September 15, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Given I know a little about science communication, I am happy to share this commentary by my grad-school housemate. pubs.aip.org/physicstoday...
In Sept 1874, Jacobus van 't Hoff published his article on how molecules are 3D. "A suggestion looking to the extension into space of the structural formulas at present used in chemistry..." which you can read here: #ChemSky 🧪 www.chemteam.info/Chem-History...
Van 't Hoff on Tetrahedral Carbon
www.chemteam.info
September 14, 2025 at 9:18 PM
In Sept 1874, Jacobus van 't Hoff published his article on how molecules are 3D. "A suggestion looking to the extension into space of the structural formulas at present used in chemistry..." which you can read here: #ChemSky 🧪 www.chemteam.info/Chem-History...
This month (September) in 1829, Robert Brown published ”Additional Remarks on Active Molecules” in Philosophical Magazine, Series 2, pp 161-6: the discovery of what is now called Brownian Motion. 🧪 #ChemSky www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/gold/pd...
www.damtp.cam.ac.uk
September 11, 2025 at 6:19 PM
This month (September) in 1829, Robert Brown published ”Additional Remarks on Active Molecules” in Philosophical Magazine, Series 2, pp 161-6: the discovery of what is now called Brownian Motion. 🧪 #ChemSky www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/gold/pd...
Folx, I have posted the final episode of my podcast, “The History of Chemistry.” Please continue to support it financially on Buzzsprout & Patreon, otherwise it goes away. (Hosting costs money.) 🧪 #ChemSky
September 9, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Folx, I have posted the final episode of my podcast, “The History of Chemistry.” Please continue to support it financially on Buzzsprout & Patreon, otherwise it goes away. (Hosting costs money.) 🧪 #ChemSky
Last night was my choir, Sharim v’Sharot’s first rehearsal of the season.
September 3, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Last night was my choir, Sharim v’Sharot’s first rehearsal of the season.
Newest episode of "The History of Chemistry" podcast: Finding life chemically in our solar system. 🧪
August 22, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Newest episode of "The History of Chemistry" podcast: Finding life chemically in our solar system. 🧪
Folks, I am proud (and floored) to announce that I am the 2026 James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public winner. 🧪
ACS announces 2026 national award winners
The winners are being acknowledged for their outstanding achievements in chemistry across various fields in the discipline. cen.acs.org/people/award...
The winners are being acknowledged for their outstanding achievements in chemistry across various fields in the discipline. cen.acs.org/people/award...
ACS announces 2026 national award winners
The winners are being acknowledged for their outstanding achievements in chemistry across various fields in the discipline
cen.acs.org
August 19, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Folks, I am proud (and floored) to announce that I am the 2026 James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public winner. 🧪
Latest episode of "The History of Chemistry" podcast for all is on the recent history of molecular machines. Hear about the ancestors of our future molecular overlords! 🧪
August 17, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Latest episode of "The History of Chemistry" podcast for all is on the recent history of molecular machines. Hear about the ancestors of our future molecular overlords! 🧪
The latest episode of "The History of Chemistry" podcast discusses how phytofarming has developed. 🧪
August 8, 2025 at 8:19 PM
The latest episode of "The History of Chemistry" podcast discusses how phytofarming has developed. 🧪
Newest post on "The History of Chemistry" podcast is an episode about the history of chemistry 🧪 itself.
August 3, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Newest post on "The History of Chemistry" podcast is an episode about the history of chemistry 🧪 itself.
Next episode of "The History of Chemistry" is up: listen to a bit about various awards and honors that chemical organizations bestow.🧪
July 25, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Next episode of "The History of Chemistry" is up: listen to a bit about various awards and honors that chemical organizations bestow.🧪
New episode of my podcast "The History of Chemistry" is up, on Greek letters used as symbols in chemistry. 🧪
July 17, 2025 at 7:45 PM
New episode of my podcast "The History of Chemistry" is up, on Greek letters used as symbols in chemistry. 🧪
A couple of weeks ago I was in Stockholm, and I *had* to visit the statue of chemist 🧪 Jöns Jacob Berzelius, who discovered elements, invented modern chemical symbols, and more. Sadly, there is no museum dedicated to him in Stockholm—and there ought to be.
July 14, 2025 at 12:08 AM
A couple of weeks ago I was in Stockholm, and I *had* to visit the statue of chemist 🧪 Jöns Jacob Berzelius, who discovered elements, invented modern chemical symbols, and more. Sadly, there is no museum dedicated to him in Stockholm—and there ought to be.
New episode up for "The History of Chemistry" podcast: on photovoltaic cells that operate under indoor illumination. 🧪
July 11, 2025 at 7:47 PM
New episode up for "The History of Chemistry" podcast: on photovoltaic cells that operate under indoor illumination. 🧪
I declare independence from tyranny. bsky.app/profile/boro...
July 4, 2025 at 3:45 PM
I declare independence from tyranny. bsky.app/profile/boro...
From my collection of historical chemistry 🧪 books, here is A Y Rogodin’s “Khemye,” published with other Yiddish scientific works by Farlag Yehude in Warsaw ~1920. Rogodin was an engineer, not chemist. #Yiddish
July 2, 2025 at 11:39 AM
From my collection of historical chemistry 🧪 books, here is A Y Rogodin’s “Khemye,” published with other Yiddish scientific works by Farlag Yehude in Warsaw ~1920. Rogodin was an engineer, not chemist. #Yiddish