Lecture 1

Approximately 100 elements made up our world

Elements are made of atoms (indivisible units).
Atoms are made of electrons and nucleus (protons and neutrons)
Arrangement of electrons in atoms affect chemical properties (Periodicity)
Only the electrons in the valence orbitals determine chemical properties
(Periodicity)
When atom share electrons, chemical bond arises
Atoms join to form molecules
All matter is made up of elements or combinations of them (compound)
Hydrogen 74% and Helium 24%
1 mole = 6.02 * 1023
Water molecules and carbon atoms covalent bond
Entropy: Universe is always getting more disordered

Chinese Alchemy

Alchemy is a cosmic art in which the mineral and animal parts can be
liberated from their temporal existence and attain states of perfection.
Gold in case of minerals, longevity, immortality and redemption for human
Chinese alchemy influenced by Taoist philosophy and religion
Chinese alchemy strong link between alchemy and medicine
Yang: male, positive, light, heat, sun
Yin: female, negative, darkness, cold, moon
Everything in world in made of Yin and Yang (Chinese)
Elixirs were concocted to balance the yin and yang to attain perfect harmony
Five elements Concept (Water,Fire,Metal,Earth,Wood) Chinese Alchemy
Cinnabar (Mercury Sulphide, HgS): Yang can give longevity believed by
chinese
Sulphur Yang
Saltpetre (Potassium nitrate): Ying
Experiment with yin yang concept lead to gunpowder

Greece
Empedocles (Agrigentum in Sicily) postulated that all matter is composed 4
elements (Fire, Water, Air and Earth)

Aristotle postulate the four qualities hotness, coldeness, dryness and

wetness.

Stoic: Cosmos governed by correspondence between great and small and

correspondence between the seven metals to seven planets

Zosimos of panopolis provide one of the first definitions of alchemy as the

study of the composition of water movement, embodying and disembodying, drawing the
spirits from bodies and bonding the spirits within bodies

Islamic Alchemy

Jabir Ibn Hayyan accepts Aristotles four elements and four qualities and
come out with mercury sulphur theory and most influential of latin text on alchemy

Muhammad ibn Zakariya (polymath): more famous as physician that a

chemist or aclechmist and write a book secret of secrets

Alchemy in medieval Europe

Philosophers stone: Material to transmute base metal to gold

Nicolas Flamel able to create silver and gold and became a philanthropist
James IV of Scotland and Rudolf 2 of bohemia heavily supported alchemist
Isaac Newton death reveal high Hg content in his hair.
Vanoccio Biringuccio (Italian Metallurgist) despises alchemy
Robert Boyle rise of scientific method
Boerhaaves allegory: Farmer who told his son that treasures lies in the wild
fields surrounding their home. The treasure turns out to be fictitious but the already
ploughed land was ready to be farms

Alchemy vs Chemistry

Alchemy non scientific , Chemistry scientific

Paracelsus (Person)
Celsus: Famous Roman Physician
Paracelcus: Beyond or better than Celsus
Rejected classical greek medical theory (Galen four humor) and Aristotles
four element

Modify Gebers mercury-sulphur theory

Rise of iatrochemistry: The application of alchemy to Medicine

Claim that everything is made of three thing (Tria Prima) which are sulphur(in
flammability), mercury(fusability, volatility) and salt(incombustibility, non-volatility)

Iatrochemistry
Iatro = medical/doctor
Galen believe in four humors: blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm.
Balance to achieve health.

Iatrochemistry lead to writing textbooks, hence making it more open than the
secretive transmutation alchemy

Jan Baptist van Helmont

Iatrochemist
His theory: Only two ultimate elements: Air and Water. Air does not take part
in transmutation. Water can be molded into different materials.

Early Demonstration of scientific method: Willow tree experiment

Gas: Greek word for chaos