Hrvoj Vančik – författare

This book, Philosophy of Chemistry, is dedicated to some of the general principles of philosophy of chemistry, the special branch of philosophy of science. Since the work is a collection of lectures that the Author gave at the University of Zagreb (Croatia) during the period of twenty years, the book could serve also as a university textbook in philosophy of chemistry.

Philosophy of chemistry is represented through the discussion about some of the general philosophical problems such as, theory of complexity, autonomy of sciences, epistemology, falsificationism, emergence and unity of science, holism and reductionism, the problem of identity, and hierarchical structures, as well as the teleological aspects of science.

The work consists from thirteen chapters where the main science-philosophical problems are represented and discussed within the historical context of the development of chemistry as a science. The book is aimed at wider academic audience interesting in the philosophy of science, and especially at university students of life sciences.

This textbook is designed for students of biology, molecular biology, ecology,medicine, agriculture, forestry and other professions where the knowledge of organic chemistry plays an important role. The work may also be of interest to non-professionals, as well as to teachers in high schools. The book consists of 13 chapters that cover the essentials of organic chemistry, including - basic principles of structure and constitution of organic compounds, - the elements of the nomenclature, - the concepts of the nature of chemical bond, - introductions in NMR and IR spectroscopy, - the concepts and main classes of the organic reaction mechanisms, - reactions and properties of common classes or organic compounds, - and the introduction to the chemistry of the natural organic products followed by basic principles of the reactions in living cells. 

This book sheds new light on the interactions between the science of complexity and the science of systems.  Though both of these fields have been independently studied extensively, their interrelations have not been satisfactorily analyzed. By a superficial view, both the sciences are based on the same principles of the holistic behavior of the ensembles consisting of components. The author providing an expert analysis on the theory of complexity and bridges the gap to generalize it, by elaborating on all the observable manifestations of complex forms and behaviors and explaining how it is related to general theory of systems.

Particular attention is given to the use of chemical concepts throughout the text to demonstrate the theories as well as the interactions between the two. The central point of this book is the new rational representation of systems that origins from some chemical concepts about the structure of molecules and graph theoretical chemical theory. Thisnovel text appeals to experienced researchers, students, and all those curious about theories of systems, complexities, and theoretical chemistry.