Juan Julio Bonet and the history of chemistry

This paper approaches the life and work of Juan Julio Bonet Sugrañes as a «chemist-historian», as a professional chemist who integrated history in his teaching and research projects. Through his novel Viaje al Reino de Saturno (2004) and his earlier unpublished manuscript Sinopsis (2000), this article analyses authors, institutions and historical periods that raised professor Bonet's intellectual interest. They show how history of chemistry has played an important role in the making of the public image of chemistry as a profession, as well as in the analysis of its complex relations with society.