I guess I’m confused by the assertion that phlogiston explains things about metal properties, that isn’t equally explained by “metals are calxes with the oxygen removed.” Both explanations are descriptive, not predictive, and yes that remains true until we figured out quantum mechanics. Neither will tell you how a metal will behave when burned, what color flame it’ll produce, why you can reduce iron ore with charcoal but not aluminum, what alloys you can make under what conditions and what their behavior will be, and so on.
I don’t disagree with “you can’t explain the properties of metals based on Lavoisier’s chemistry paradigm without quantum mechanics.” That’s just straightforwardly true. I remember very well one quantum mechanics lecture where my professor said, after about a week of derivations, “and that’s why metals are shiny.” What I disagree with is the assertion that phlogiston does explain this, in any sense other than just postulating the existence of a substance that tautologically, exactly matches whatever is observed in all its complexity. Understanding oxygen’s role better serves to highlight where the gaps in useful understanding already were, whether or not anyone had the tools yet to fill them.
Even if we do agree to identify phlogiston with electrons, then the phlogiston theorists were still mistaken to think of it as a substance separate from the other reactants. Electrons, and free energy too, are part of the reactant and product substances in question. “Atoms” aren’t actually atomic, or unbreakable. Neither side of this disagreement had that truth in its toolbox, and that truth is the central one that allows quantum mechanics to improve on what came before.
I guess I’m confused by the assertion that phlogiston explains things about metal properties, that isn’t equally explained by “metals are calxes with the oxygen removed.” Both explanations are descriptive, not predictive, and yes that remains true until we figured out quantum mechanics. Neither will tell you how a metal will behave when burned, what color flame it’ll produce, why you can reduce iron ore with charcoal but not aluminum, what alloys you can make under what conditions and what their behavior will be, and so on.
I don’t disagree with “you can’t explain the properties of metals based on Lavoisier’s chemistry paradigm without quantum mechanics.” That’s just straightforwardly true. I remember very well one quantum mechanics lecture where my professor said, after about a week of derivations, “and that’s why metals are shiny.” What I disagree with is the assertion that phlogiston does explain this, in any sense other than just postulating the existence of a substance that tautologically, exactly matches whatever is observed in all its complexity. Understanding oxygen’s role better serves to highlight where the gaps in useful understanding already were, whether or not anyone had the tools yet to fill them.
Even if we do agree to identify phlogiston with electrons, then the phlogiston theorists were still mistaken to think of it as a substance separate from the other reactants. Electrons, and free energy too, are part of the reactant and product substances in question. “Atoms” aren’t actually atomic, or unbreakable. Neither side of this disagreement had that truth in its toolbox, and that truth is the central one that allows quantum mechanics to improve on what came before.