On the Limits of Chemical Knowledge

Abstract: Constraints on the representational capability of the language by which, in a simplistic yet truthful manner, chemists state knowledge of the spatial and electronic structure of molecules, are imposed by (a) the impossi-bility to prepare every conceivable compound bearing a specific structural fragment; and (b) objective limitations in our synthetic capabilities. Because intra- and intermolecular organization is depicted with a limited degree of de-tail, the prediction and explanation of chemical reactivity is hampered, and even more so our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying phenomena at higher levels of complexity. Epistemologically speaking, how-ever, predictive failures are not entirely negative, as they often signal unprece-dented chemical properties or events