How do scientists explain what they do to the larger public, and how can historians help? In this first episode of Distillations, we explore this question by looking at phlogiston, an obsolete element once thought to explain combustion.
SHOW CLOCK
00:00 Opening Credits
00:42 The periodic table
01:52 Element of the Week: Phlogiston
04:02 Interview with Paul Smith, director of lecture demonstrations in the department of chemistry, Purdue University
09:16 Quote of the week: Primo Levi
09:43 Closing Credits
CREDITS
Special thanks to Anke Timmermann for researching this show. Additional credits available at sciencehistory.org.
