Yevgen Smotrytskyy

Space. Chemistry. Life.

Report on the Fifth International Symposium for Philosophy of Chemistry and Biochemistry,
Meeting in Loughborough University August 6th to 9th 2001

I want to offer your attention the conferring about interrelation of chemical properties of atoms with space evolution and origin of life. I have approached to this problem when studying environmental consequences of chemical-technological activity (my Ph.D. Theses). In particular I too much have thought about the problem of chemical evolution and even has written small paper in this occasion. It was my first philosophical paper. It was in 1988. Later, in 1990, I have found the most interesting book of the American biochemist, sociologist and philosopher Lawrence Henderson.
This my conferring grounded mainly on his work "The Fitness of the environment". Some words therefore let to tell about this most interesting scientist, whose name, as seems to me, is undeserved to remain in a shadow, though it is impossible to tell, that he is forgotten.

Lawrence Joseph Henderson was born 3 June 1878 in Lynn, Massachusetts. He entered Harvard University at the age of sixteen. Henderson became interested in the application of physicochemical methods and principles to biochemistry, and upon graduating from college in 1898 he entered the Harvard Medical School to obtain training in the biological sciences. After receiving his M.D. in 1902, Henderson spent two years in the laboratory of the biochemist Franz Hofmeister in Strasbourg.

In 1905 Henderson was appointed lecturer in biochemistry at Harvard, where he continued to teach until his death.
In his early work Henderson applied his knowledge of physical chemistry to the problem of acid-based equilibrium in the body. Henderson derived an equation which allowed him to describe quantitatively the action of buffer solutions. The equation, published in 1908, state that

(H+) = K x (acid) / (salt)

This equation in logarifmic form now known as the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation (1916). This work greatly impressed him with the "fitness" of substances like carbonic acid for various physiological processes. After that he became interesting philosophical problems and began to attend Josiah Royce philosophical seminars at Harvard. Main result of his philosophical research are two books, "The Fitness of the environment" and "The Order of Nature" (1917).
An emphasis should be made on a work of an American biochemist Lawrence Henderson "The Fitness of the environment". Written in 1913, it is consonant to the ideas of Vladimir Vernadsky (Russian thinker and naturalist) and equal to the works of latter in profundity of scientific and philosophical analysis. The brief summary of this work is chemical substantiation of an anthropological principle. Working in field of chemistry and biology the author drew a conclusion that not only organisms are adjusted to the environment (this view that has strongly come into science owing to Ch. Darwin's and E.Gekkel's works) but also an environment represents a unique "formation" capable to support life. Along with chemical regularities there are a lot of anomalies and unique properties in those substance and chemical elements which constitute internal and external environment of life. Water amazes with its iniquity, amazes not only the set of properties but also their dropping out of general range of regularities, discovered when compared with other similar substances (hydrides, oxides). The scientist examining thermal property of water in detail (abnormally high heat capacity, thermal conduction, heat of phase changes, ability to be dilated at freezing) and water's property as a solvent (Anomalously high inductivity, surface-tension). Come to a conclusion that change of any water property will lead to a distraction of the life.

The main conclusion sounds extremely contemporarily. "The properties of matter and the course of cosmic evolution are now seen to be intimately related to the structure of the living being and to it activities; they become, therefore, far more important in biology than has been previously process, both cosmic and organic, is one, and the biologist may now rightly regard the universe in its very essence as biocentric". On the whole, he develops his ideas, as we now would say in course of global evolutionism. Even through he failed to manifest the direction of the evolutionary process at all levels of the matter, (the task is still disputable) but managed to find a way, as it seems, to a contemporary synergetic approach. He distinguishes between two factors of the evolution - tendency and time. The impression is made that the whole process of development is influenced by a continuous tendency, although this fact is of no low importance for science. It should be considered that such tendency as well as time is a completely independent variable and that tendency and time together create some unchangeable environment of the evolution's process.
Striving to comprehend the ability of a chemical structure of the matter to produce life, Lawrence Henderson draws a conclusion of insufficiency of Mendeleeff's chemical elements chart for a profound understanding of chemism.
The problem is complicated unexplored. That is whey we id better apply to the first source. Since the middle of the last century, new phenomena appeared due to a periodical system. There was a tendency to relate a greater meaning to this system as the main mystery of chemistry, and probably it was regarded as the only regularity that can be found among properties of the matter. The result of this work is the proof that there is another, independent regularity in properties of elements. This new regularity is, to say, a hidden one if regard the properties of matter from abstract and statistical view. Although chemists long ago have some vague conception notion about it, this regularity is manifested distinctly in case the time is considered in an investigation. It has a dynamical meaning and refers to the phenomena of evolution. It relates to an earlier clarified regularity in such relation as in biology functional does to structural. That is why it can't be absolutely independent from a former regularity; it is to say included into it, however, it could never be discovered if without investigation of the phenomena in course of time. If time is introduced to our investigation, most of the phenomena and the way they are grouped are revealed in a completely different light; this fact is not new for the history of science. Since pendulum and Galliley's curves of the surface up to chemical dynamics of the newest physical chemistry - the notion of about the environment was constantly changing due to successes in the field of dynamics especially biology bore important changes owing to an evolution doctrine. It can be said a priori that investigation of element's properties in relation to cosmic processes… their relation to time should reveal a completely different order perhaps the only possible that exits among these properties of elements beyond periodical system. This newest order can be formulated the following way: properties of elements are allotted among elements irregularly but not accidentally: distribution of these properties is not exclusively with that regularity revealed in fact of periodicity. Viewing this properties we found, that they, on contrary are seemed to be more concentrated on some special elements, first of all on oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon. As a consequence of these facts some typical features of cosmic process are appeared which would never appear if the distribution of the properties were different from existing one at present. The properties revealed in elements in such an unusual manner and such an original whole include the majority of the most known and important features of matter as well as some its peculiarities. This order has some important consequences for cosmic and organically development, exactly: constancy and unchangeability of physical-chemical state of the planet, as well as complexity of structure of the latter. The result of this is that at this surface extremely steady complex and full of energy systems. From the quoted work it's obvious that evolutionary ideas in chemistry have a long history but they are still topical. L.G. Henderson's view's reechoes with ideas of French philosopher and chemist G. Bashlar (Bachelard). More important is that they are proved experimentally in chemical and biochemical researches, particularly in works by Italian chemist J. Pikkardy and Russian scientist and thinker Alexander Leonidovich Chizhevsky. In investigation on aeroionification (ionization of air) the latter drew a conclusion that to support life not simple oxygen but ionized in specific manner oxygen is required with definite correlation of positive and negative ions. Deviation from norm is immediately reflected on a living organism. Hi also defined that positive aeroions have a negative impact on a vital activity, and negative ions have a positive impact that allowed him to prtopose an effective way of treatment for some disorders (air ionizator known as "Chizhevsky chandelier" for treatment of asthma disorders) and give some useful recommendations for agriculture. Besides, Chizhevsky was a friend of Constantine Tsiolkovsky and the latter underwent bronchial asthma treatment after the Chizhevsky's method. But the point is the State of oxygen required to support life depends on both external conditions and nature of atoms itself. Here is what a modern investigator P.K. Korzhuev writes: "There is something majestic in that fact that only one property of this vital element which is oxygen is, defined the most complex character of the organisms evolution in our planet.

Comprehending vast experimental material on the sun's impact on living beings, Alexander Chizhevsky made an admission about Z-radiation emitted by the Sun and responsible for intensification of biosphere functional activity. There are many facts confirming this hypothesis, but the difficulty is that this bioactive Z-radiation can't be determined by simple physical methods, but seized in some chemical reactions, first of all in living organisms cells, that is why the nature of those is still unqualified. To a similar working hypothesis resorted some other scientists: German microbiologist G.Bortels, Japan scientists H. Moriyama and I. Tokata, already mentioned Italian chemist J. Pikkardy. The latter in result of several years experiments drew a conclusion that "connection between cosmic and physical-chemical (not biological) phenomena is firmly established at the present moment.

A conclusion is coming that cosmic, chemical and biological are indissoluble connected and voluntary chemical, especially large-scale chemically-engineering activity without consideration of laws of the Whole, laws of the whole system into which it is included only as a part is the way to an environmental crisis. And we have already passed.
And additionally I want to say that creativity of L. Henderson is excellent example of chemical style of thinking and "chemical world outlook". In this case we are see "chemical" contribution to the General System theory and system thinking.

 

Pictures from meeting