Chemistry 001 Library Guide:
Chemistry and History

Coming up with a topic

The final judgment on the appropriateness of a topic always lies with the instructor.
If in doubt, check with Dr. Ryan.

With such a broad starting point, it can feel overwhelming to select a topic that can be covered in a short paper. It is very important to focus your area of interest so that you can address it in a four-page paper. There are several ways to find direction and narrow the topic to a manageable size. Remember, research is not always a linear process. Explore broadly until you find an idea that interests you then search for journal articles on that final, focused paper topic.

1. ‘Big picture’ questions that help you find an area of interest on which to concentrate.

2. Encyclopedia articles can provide background and perspective as well as pique your interest in a topic. Encyclopedia articles are not appropriate as references for this paper but rather can be used to help with choosing a specific topic.

3. We’ve come up with some keywords to spark your own ideas.

4. We’ve placed several books for each subject on Reserve. Scan the Table of Contents and/or the Index for inspiration.

1. ‘Big Picture’ Questions

Choose an area of history and ask how chemistry impacted it, e.g., agriculture, military, transportation, energy, technology, etc.
Choose a period of history and ask how chemistry played a role, e.g., Iron Age, Middle Ages, Industrial Revolution, Information Age, etc.

“Archeological chemistry” in Access Science as well as a research update of the same name
Encyclopedia of historical archaeology (netLIbrary book; click on “View this eBook” then view Table of Contents in left side bar by expanding the alphabetical entries)
Metallurgy” in Access Science
“Plastics processing” in Access Science
“Radiocarbon dating” in Access Science

3. Keywords

We’ve come up with some keywords to spark your own ideas.

carbon 14 dating or radiocarbon dating
mummification
historic artifacts, including preservation and analysis
metallurgy
alloys
plastics
rubber
polymers
synthetics
chemical fertilizers

 
4. Books on Reserve

We’ve placed several books for each subject on Reserve.
Click the links below to see the Table of Contents for inspiration.
Then take a look at the book by taking the call number to the Reserves Desk in the lower level of Raynor where you can check it out and browse through it.
Scan the index for additional ideas.

Archaeological chemistry : analytical techniques and archaeological interpretation
edited by Michael D. Glascock, Robert J. Speakman and Rachel S. Popelka-Filcoff
call number: CC79.C5 A726 2007

Archaeological Chemistry: Materials, Methods, and Meaning
edited by Kathryn A. Jakes
call number: CC79.C5 A728 2002

Gunpowder, Explosives and the State: A Technological History
edited by Brenda J. Buchanan
call number: TP272 .G83 2006

Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History
by Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson
call number: QD37 .L34 2003

Modern Analytical Methods in Art and Archaeology
edited by Enrico Ciliberto and Guiseppe Spoto
call number: N8558 .M63 2000

Science as Public Culture: Chemistry and Enlightenment in Britain, 1760-1820
by Jan Golinski
call number: QD18 .G7 G65 1992

The Substance of Civilization: Materials and Human History from the Stone Age to the Age of Silicon
by Stephen L. Sass
call number: TA403 .S335 1998

Traces of the Past: Unraveling the Secrets of Archaeology Through Chemistry
by Joseph P. Lambert
call number: CC75 .L297 1997

• ProQuest Research Library
• Academic Search Elite