THE FIRST PRINTING OF THE FOUNDATION WORK ON CHEMICAL THERMODYNAMICS. Gibbs (1839-1903), the greatest American mathematical physicist, introduced in this work the "phase rule" to solve the intricate problem of the equilibrium of such mixtures as chemical solutions and metal alloys. Largely ignored both in America and abroad for more than ten years after this initial appearance, its impact upon modern industrial technology was enormous, leading directly to the modern manufacture of plastics, drugs, dyes, and organic solvents. His mathematical equations relieved scientists of immeasurable numbers of experiments in order to ascertain the precise conditions for successful chemical processes. "In this single memoir of some 300 pages he vastly extended the domain covered by thermodynamics, including chemical, elastic, surface, electromagnetic, and electrochemical phenomena in a single system."--D.S.B., V, p.389.

The earlier papers by Gibbs in the above periodical are "Graphical Methods in the Thermodynamics of Fluids" (II, pages 309-342) and "A Method of Geometrical Representation of the Thermodynamic Properties of Substances by Means of Surfaces" (II, pages 382-404).