José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva e os estudos químico-mineralógicos: uma vida perpassada por compromissos com o ensino e a sociedade

Abstract

This paper discusses the works developed by researcher José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva (1763-1838) connected to Chemistry and Mineralogy as well as the works that demonstrate his efforts to bring the science in force in Europe of the eighteenth and nineteenth century for Brazilian reality. We aim to study this side of Andrada e Silva, once we noted that the socio-anthropological works and the strong political influence of Andrada e Silva was already explored enough by scholars of several areas. However, we almost did not find secondary works that discuss the side of chemist and mineralogist of this scholar. For such research, we performed a search for documents of Andrada e Silva and for bibliography that addresses his works while natural philosopher. We did a more general approach of the material aiming to separate it according to the approach. Due to being a qualitative research, the documents, papers, books and thesis- our data- were separated and analyzed individually. When the work of data interpretation began, we used historical material to contextualize historically and socially the works of the researcher. The results showed that there was much dedicated research both in Chemistry and Mineralogy. From minerals petalite and spodumene, it was possible, later, to isolate the chemical element Lithium, of broad applicability nowadays. In relation to teaching, Andrada e Silva aspired major changes to the course of Natural Philosophy of the University of Coimbra, which unfortunately was not put into practice. Even with this disillusion, when returning to Brazil, he proposed several works that had as main focus to develop the science in his homeland, in the attempt to equate it to other nations visited by him. With his strong political influence, he also had the opportunity to become tutor of D. Pedro II, thereby influencing his taste for sciences, especially Chemistry.