Alchemy -the Predecessor Of Modern Chemistry :: essays research papers

There are numerous ways to examine the subject of chemical science, including alchemy as a root system of symbolism, psychology, and mysticism. It has also been an influence on the world view of various writers, artist, and musicians. The concentrate on of this report is alchemy as a pre-chemistry, which gave a new propensity towards the preparation of medicinal remedies and also was a major influence on todays scientific investigations.Alchemy is an ancient art, practiced in the Middle Ages. The fundamental conception of alchemy stemmed from Aristotles doctrine that all things tend to r individually sodding(a)ion. Because some other metals were thought to be less perfect than gold, it was reasonable to believe that spirit created gold out of other metals found deep within the humankind and that a skilled artisan could duplicate this process. It was said that once soul was able to change, or transmute a "base" chemical into the perfect metal, gold, they would have achieved eternal life and salvation. In this way, alchemy turned into non only a scientific interest, but a spiritual quest as well. Although the purposes and techniques were often times ritualistic and fanciful, alchemy was in umpteen ways the predecessor of modern science, especially the science of chemistry.The birth swan of alchemy was ancient Egypt, where, in Alexandria, it began to flourish during the Hellenistic period. Also at that time, a school of alchemy was developing in China. The writings of some classic philosophers may be considered to be among the very first chemical theories, much(prenominal) as the theory that all things are composed of air, earth, fire, and water. Each of these were delineated by different elements, such as sulfur, salt, mercury, and, ideally, gold. Other ideas held by alchemists were that each of the known elements were represented by heavenly bodies. Gold was earths representation of the sun, silver medal for the moon, mercury for the pla net Mercury, copper for Venus, iron for Mars, tin for Jupiter, and lead for Saturn. The regular(prenominal) alchemists laboratory in Renaissance Europe was a dark, cluttered place that stank of smoke and mysterious chemicals. Many alchemists worked at home, in order to except money and avoid outside interference. Some settled in the kitchen, to say advantage of the cooking fire. Others chose the attic or cellar, where late-night activity was less probable to be noticed by inquisitive neighbors. These small, makeshift laboratories were often fill up with a grimy jumble of instruments, manuscripts, skulls, animal specimens, and assorted mystical objects.