Research Paper

-History of Science: The Ages of Alchemy-

Griffin – 10E – EMASI Nam Long

Finding report
 Table of Content
I...................................................................................The age of Alchemy
II...................................................................Alchemist’s accomplishment
III.............................................................................. Alchemists in history
 1. The age of Alchemy
Alchemy, an interesting subject, and the mysterious time in our past. While it may seem
magical, it places the foundation for modern science that we have today. It is notable, however,
that the evidence is not equally substantial in all times and places. Evidence from ancient
Middle America (Aztecs, Mayans) is still almost nonexistent; evidence from India is tenuous and
from ancient China, Greece, and Islamic lands is only relatively more plentiful. (Robert,
Multhauf P., and Gilbert Andrew Robert. "alchemy pseudoscience." Britannica.com,
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/topic/alchemy. Accessed 29 Mar. 2022.).
Start from 1300 and mark its end in 1700, alchemy shows an important part in human history
when people had the desire to understand how the world work and how to manipulate matter
to their advantages. During the 1600s and 1700s, alchemy enjoyed a golden age. By the 1800s,
modern chemistry had begun to take shape, and many chemists were eager to leave old ideas
behind. (Elisabeth, Drago Berry. "Age of Alchemy By Science History Institute." Google Arts and
Culture, Science History Institute, artsandculture.google.com/story/age-of-alchemy-science-
history-institute/ZQUxP7XkB-WZLA?hl=en. Accessed 29 Mar. 2022.). Despite its mysterious
aspect, it still contributed to a huge part to modern chemistry with alchemist at heart. They had
theories about the nature of metals that made them believe they could manipulate their
structure, which similar to the building blocks we know as atoms today. They also conducted
experiments that they believed proved minerals could be made to grow.” In an age when there
were no microscopes to penetrate living cells and no understanding of the nature of atoms and
molecules, the alchemists were not misguided so much as misinformed, doing their best to
make sense of a world they could not see. That they understood as much as they did is the real
marvel: In pursuing what today seems like little more than witchcraft, the alchemists were in
fact laying the foundation for modern experimental science. (Bosveld, Jane. "Isaac Newton,
World's Most Famous Alchemist." Discover Magazine, Discover Magazine,
www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/isaac-newton-worlds-most-famous-alchemist.
Accessed 29 Mar. 2022.).
 2. Alchemy’s achievements
Despite being mysterious and remain mysterious in the history of chemistry, they still
found lots of new things that became the foundation for modern chemistry. Without these
findings, our development might be substantially slower.

1. The discovery of Sulfur and Mercury

Sulfur is used in many industrial applications today. Although sulfur is discovered long
before the ages of Alchemy, not until this time that alchemists discovered many attributes beside
combustion. Mercury, similar to Sulfur, had been discovered way before the Alchemists time,
but their unique properties was only found at this period.

2. Findings of the building blocks of matters

- The discovery of atoms had contributed to a huge part in modern chemistry. But, if not for the
foundation laid by the theory of matters, it may never be borne. The Greeks and Hindus appear
to have developed theories on matter, however, most of the
philosophical writings are attributed to the Greeks due to the amount of recorded
information that has survived to the present. Greek writings tell us that they thought substances
could be converted or transformed into other forms. They observed the changing of states due to
heat and equated it with biological processes. For example, it was believed that an animal
digested its food by “cooking” it in its stomach.
The Greeks were philosophers and thinkers, not experimentalists, so they did not conduct
experiments to verify their ideas. They believed that a sphere was perfection, so no
substance on Earth was perfect.
As early as the 6th century BC, Thales of Miletus (about 624-about 527
B.C.) proposed that water is the primal matter from which everything
originated. He is also credited with defining a soul as that which
possesses eternal motion. Anaximander (610-546 B.C.), also believed in a primary substance, the
apeiron, which was eternal and unlimited in extension. It was not composed
of any known elements and it possessed eternal motion (i.e., a soul). Anaximenes (585-524 B.C.)
modified the ideas of his predecessors and stated that air is the primary substance and suggested
it could be transformed into other substances by thinning (fire) or thickening (wind, clouds, rain,
hail, earth, rock). Heraclitus of Ephesus (544-484 B.C.) said that fire is the primeval substance,
and that change is the only reality. (An illustrated history of alchemy and early chemistry by
David A. Katz, All Right Reserved, permissioned for classroom and educational use). Their
thinking of matter is not accurate, but it erases the belief that everything in the world is created
by some higher being (for example: god, etc...).
3. The invention of laboratory chemical technique
- Many processes used in laboratory was mainly introduced in this period
4. Findings of many non-bioorganic acids
- Discovery of many acids used in modern chemistry (sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid...)
5. Alloying technique
- Understanding of how to combine many metals together to form alloys, which have more
advantageous properties than their origin.