Atomos, Aristotle and

Alchemy (Chemistry
Before Modern
History)
Learning Competencies:
1. I can describe the
contributions of the
alchemists to the science
of chemistry
List of important names and term
that you will encounter:
1.Atomism
2.Aristotle
3.Jabir-Ibn-Hayyan (Geber)
4.Alchemy
5.protoscience
• What do you call the
idea that things are made
up of much smaller things
that cannot be changed
nor divided?
Answer: Atomism
Trivia:
Do you know that Galileo Galilei
insisted on the truth of the belief of
heliocentrism or idea of a
heliocentric solar system that the
Catholic Church classified it as a
heresy.
Galileo Galilei
He was sentenced to
imprisonment for 1 day
and was commuted to
“villa arrest” for the rest of
his life.
Anaxagoras
•The philosopher Anaxagoras
argued that there was an infinite
number of elementary natural
substances in the form of
infinitesimally small particles that
combined to comprise the different
things in the universe.
Empedocles
Empedocles- stated that
everything is made up of four
eternal and unchanging kinds
of matter, fire, air (all gases),
water (all liquids and metals)
and earth (all solids)
Plato further expanded
Empedocles’ theory by saying
each of the four kinds of
matter is composed of
geometrical solids (the
“Platonic Solids”) further
divisible into triangles.
Platonic Solids
•When rearranged, these
triangles could cause the
apparent transformation
between the four basic
kinds of matter.
Aristotle
Aristotle believed that
the four elements could
be balanced in
substances in an
infinite number of ways.
•Four essential elements
•Hot
•Dry
•Cold
•wet
Civilizations and the
products of their
technological
advances
•Mesopotamians
had techniques to utilize metals like gold
and copper.
Assigned certain symbols to match metals
with the heavenly bodies (Sun and Moon)
They made use of other materials such as
dyes, glass, paints, and perfumes.
Mesopotamians
•Egyptians
•Adapted techniques from the
Mesopotamians and
perfected the use of bronze,
dye and glass that the
Greeks later copied.
Egyptians
•Chinese had their own processes
for metalworks and ceramic
materials, but they focused on
finding minerals, plants and
substances that could prolong life.
Some were found useless or even
harmful like Mercury.
Chinese
•Indians, like the Chinese had a kind of
alchemy (rasayana) that looked different
substances and practices for Vedic
medicine. (Hindu and Buddhist beliefs).
•They perfected the use of of iron and
steel and were well-known manufacturers
of dyes, glass, cement, solutions for
textiles, and soap.
Indians
•Arabs and Muslims enriched not only the
practice but also the literature of
chemistry.
•Jabir Ibn-Hayyan, also known as Geber
translated the practices and Aristotelian
thinking of the Greeks and wrote
extensively on how metals can be
purified.
•Preparation of acids
such as nitric,
hydrochloric and
sulfuric, aqua regia.
Arabs and Muslims
•What do you call these advances
in materials, metallurgy and
medicine would be collectively
referred to in history?
•It came from the Arabic/Greek
alkimiya or the art of
transmuting.
Answer: alchemy
Full metal alchemist
Alchemists tried to play with
the balance of the 4 elements
(fire, water, air, earth) and 3
principles (salt, sulfur, and
mercury) to transform or
transmute substances.
Aims:
To try and transform impure or
base metals like lead or iron into
the purer metals of silver or gold ,
discover a magical Philosopher’s
Stone and produce the so-called
Elixir of life.
_l__i_ o_ __f_
Answer: Elixir of Life
_____ A magical
liquid that can cure
illness or extend life.
Answer: Water
True or False.
1. Alchemists had the
wrong understanding of
matter, much of what they
did set the stage for much
of modern chemistry.
Answer: True
_________ Alchemy is
considered a protoscience, a
precursor that allowed the
field of chemistry to be what is
today.
Answer: True
Protoscience- an unscientific
field of study which later
developed into real science
(e.g. astrology toward
astronomy and alchemy
toward chemistry).