The History of Chemistry (Vol.1&2)

Thomas Thomson (1773-1852) was a Scottish chemist and mineralogist whose writings contributed to the early spread of Dalton's atomic theory. In 1817 he gave silicon its present name, rejecting the suggested "silicium" because he felt the element had no metallic characteristics, and that it chemically bore a close resemblance to boron and carbon. Thomson's scientific accomplishments also include th...