Art or Science?

Fireworks. Art and science

Sometimes, people describe a technique as more art than science.  Sometimes it is unclear what that means, but I want to explore that idea in this post.

I’m a chemist.

That means that while I am a scientist, I still have a little bit of art left in me.  I’m not an engineer.  I still have a soul.

For me, the difference between art and science is really clear in the kitchen.  I cook, and I bake.  Baking is science, cooking is art.

For instance, last week I made chocolate chip cookies.  I mixed my batter and then broke out my kitchen scale.  My batter weighed 1329 g and the recipe called for 60 cookies.  Therefore, I individually weighed out 22 g cookies.

The science is important when baking.  For each cookie to be perfect, they need to be identical in size.  When eyeballing cookies, the size can range by as much as 5 g, which will result in a batch of cookies that are both underbaked (big ones) and overbaked (little ones).

But when cooking, the mood of the day dictates how much spice to add, which spice to emphasize, if I add lemon juice to a sauce or leave it out.  Is it summer or fall, do I want the dish to be light and bright or warm and comforting.  While there still is a lot of science in cooking, there is freedom to play as well.  A completely different creation can be made each time a meal is made.

I look at distillation the same way.  There is a lot of science in distillation techniques, but to become a true expert, there is also a need to be creative.  Some systems of materials present unique problems that require innovation and a different way of looking at them to successfully purify them.  A scientific understanding combined with an artistic creativity is essential to maximize that capability of the equipment.

Distillation is rooted in science, but mastering it requires the creative piece.  Is distillation more art than science?  Is it more science than art?  I don’t think that question can be answered. 

But I do know if your distillation needs more science or more art, I would appreciate a call to see if I can assist.