Some Nineteenth Century Chemistry Teaching Aids

Although nineteenth century chemistry was largely descriptive in content, students struggled with some of the same abstract concepts that trouble their modern counterparts. Invisible atoms, formulas, and chemical combinations have always been difficult topics for the beginner. We would expect the modern teacher to illustrate these ideas with models and charts, but what was used in those early classrooms? This paper describes four chemistry teaching aids marketed in the United States in the mid-1800s.