I think what is being alluded to here is the "particulate principle", in other words the fact that atoms combine to produce a compound with emergent properties,

I think what is being alluded to here is the "particulate principle", in other words the fact that atoms combine to produce a compound with emergent properties, rather than simply a blend of the properties of the constituents. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0140175089900158 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/014017... In chemistry, the distinction is often described as being between additive and emergent properties. The resulting range of possible chemical compounds is not quite an infinity, perhaps, but the particulate principle is clearly in the same category as the "digital infinity" concept.