Chemistry & Alchemy

Chemistry and Alchemy

Introduction

Science is a broad field. It has shown development and advancement in almost all the fields. One such field is of Chemistry. Chemistry is a field that has shown tremendous development. The evolution of Chemistry from Alchemy is itself a remarkable thing. Alchemy and chemistry in the seventeenth century were considered as the same discipline, which was considered as the study of matters through analysis, synthesis, and transmutation. The aim of this paper is to talk about the evolvement of chemistry from alchemy.

About Alchemy

The word 'alchemy' entered the English language in the late medieval period as a borrowing from Arabic, via French. Its ultimate origin was a Greek term meaning the transmutation of metals. In the pre-Christian era forms of alchemy arose in various parts of the world (including Greece and China), not necessarily connected with or borrowing from one another. In medieval Europe alchemy developed mainly from the translation of texts originally produced in the Arabic world. It was a discipline which combined practices that are not significantly different to the modern scientific method with the mystical and esoteric (including such areas of study as astrology, the kabbalah and theurgy) although to suggest that this was in any way unusual in the middle Ages would be misleading. In the West, it was very much associated with Hermeticism and later with the development of Rosicrucianism (Von Franz, 1980). It was believed that the transmutation would be achieved by means of a substance known to alchemists as the philosopher's stone, which they believed was already in existence and awaited their discovery. It was believed that an elixir of life could be prepared from it, which would act as a kind of universal panacea and could be used to prolong the lifespan of ordinary mortals (Anawati, 1996). Among renowned devotees of alchemy were the mathematician Dr john Dee, one-time astrologer to Queen Elizabeth I, who claimed to own a crystal ball that enabled him to communicate with angels; the German physician Paracelsus, who was chiefly interested in its possible medical uses, but who also coined the term 'alkahest' for the universal solvent which was another of the alchemists' goals; and Isaac Newton, who reputedly devoted more time to the study of alchemy than to the study of physics (Von Franz, 1980). Belief in some of the more esoteric, symbolic aspects of alchemy persists, and their influence may still be seen in some new age practices (Anawati, 1996). The old alchemists sought a living relationship with substances through perceiving how elements, functions, or 'principles' of metals reacted within flasks in relation to the prima material, the dregs of matter. Through psychic activity and chemical operations, their goal was transcendence.

About Chemistry

Chemistry is one of the natural sciences known to man and practiced since a long time. Chemistry is the science that studies the structure of the electron shells of atoms, molecules and the internal states of nuclei, electrons in a chemical processes. Chemistry is the study about the characteristics, structure, ...