Abstract Summary
When asked for the secret of his scientific success, Friedrich Paneth liked to refer to “serendipity”. This illustrious word had been introduced into the sociology of science by Robert Merton in the 1950ies. Since then it has become a vogue word for all kinds of accidental discoveries, but if it is used as a description of a logic of discovery it can serve as a historiographical tool. In this narrow sense “serendipity” implies making an unexpected observation, followed by a correct abduction. The discovery by Paneth in 1917 of bismuth hydride, which I will describe in some detail, is a conspicuous example of making use of abductive reasoning in chemistry. Notwithstanding its inherent fallibility I would like to suggest that the abduction pattern is one gateway to novelty in science. Among others, a candidate episode from the history of chemistry to corroborate this point may be Avogadro´s hypothesis.
