On the Autonomous Existence of Chemical Entities

Abstract

According to a traditional assumption, in principle chemistry could be derived from physics because chemical entities are nothing else than very complex physical entities. This assumption counts against the autonomy of chemistry as a scientific discipline or, at least, supports its secondary position with respect to physics. In this paper we review the arguments used for and against the idea that chemistry is nothing else than a branch of physics. In particular, we consider the status of chemical entities in the light of the discussions around the supposed visualization of orbitals. On this basis, we defend the autonomous existence of the chemical world.