On the Epistemological and Ontological Status of Chemical Relations

Abstract

Following several authors, we point out the importance of relations in the conceptual frame of chemistry. We propose that an important charac- teristic of chemistry is given by the epistemological challenge associated with selectively related entities. We also suggest that internal relation ontologies have been seen by chemists as better suited for assessing this challenge, and that this ontological perspective has played an important role in shaping chemical concepts.