Looking at the ingredient list of some popular processed foods will produce a puzzled look on the typical hacker’s face. Tricalcium phosphate, thiamine mononitrate, zinc proteinate, pyridoxine ...

In studying the origins of the complex system for naming chemical compounds, Evan Hepler-Smith examines the fundamental ways in which scientific knowledge is made. Hepler-Smith, from Pittsburgh, ...

Nomenclature -- the "art" of naming organic chemicals -- is crazy making. Some chemical names are simple. Some are complex. What's more, saying the names of some chemicals makes you sound like a ...

Evan Hepler-Smith, a doctoral student in Princeton's Program in History of Science, is examining the history and impact of the International Commission on Chemical Nomenclature, which established the ...