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The Molecule as an Epistemic Object: An Ontosemiotic Perspective on Its Historical Emergence

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  • Juan D. Godino
Juan D. Godino
Universidad de Granada, Spain
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/Substantia-3969

Published 2026-11-11

Keywords

  • Ontosemiotic approach,
  • concept of molecule,
  • holistic meaning,
  • history of chemistry,
  • epistemology

How to Cite

Godino, J. D. (2026). The Molecule as an Epistemic Object: An Ontosemiotic Perspective on Its Historical Emergence. Substantia. https://doi.org/10.36253/Substantia-3969

Copyright (c) 2026 Juan D. Godino

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

This article presents an epistemological and historical analysis of the emergence and evolution of the concept of molecule, using the Ontosemiotic Approach to knowledge and instruction as its theoretical framework. From this perspective, the meaning of the term ‘molecule’ is understood not as a fixed definition but pragmatically: as a system of operative and discursive practices directed towards solving specific problems in historically situated contexts. Through a diachronic study, the paper identifies and characterizes a series of partial meanings of the concept, from Dalton’s compound particles and the Avogadro–Cannizzaro distinction between atoms and molecules to the structural representations of organic chemistry and contemporary quantum-mechanical treatments, together with the hybrid configurations that connect the last two. It then examines how these partial meanings are articulated into a holistic meaning of the concept, bringing out the discontinuities, semiotic mediations and shifts in ontological commitments that have shaped its development. The study thus shows how the Ontosemiotic Approach can be used to analyse the plurality of meanings of chemical concepts and their coexistence in practice, and it suggests hypotheses for teaching the concept of molecule that remain to be tested empirically.

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