ATOMOS, ARISTOTLE and

ALCHEMY (Chemistry before Modern

History)
 LEUCIPPUS, and DEMOCRITUS
-atoms make up of the things in the universe; where there are no atoms, there is a void.

-atoms are incredibly small and cannot be divided, hence atomos (uncuttable)

-atoms themselves are solid, homogeneous and cannot change

-atoms moving about and colliding in the void cause the changes we see in our universe

-the shapes, sizes and weights of individual atoms influence the characteristics of the thing
they make up
ANAXAGORAS
-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
-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
-expanded Empedocles’ theory by saying each of the four kinds of matter is
composed of geometrical solids further divisible into triangles.

ARISTOTLE
-believed that the four elements could be balanced in substances in an
infinite number of ways, and that when combined gave proportions of
“essential qualities”, hot, dry, cold, and wet
THE EMERGENCE OF CIVILIZATION
• The Mesopotamians had techniques to utilize metals like gold and
copper. They even assigned certain symbols to match metals with the
heavenly bodies such as the Sun and the Moon. They also made use of
other materials such as dyes, glass, paints, and perfumes.

• The Egyptians adapted techniques from the Mesopotamians and

perfected the use of bronze, dye and glass that the Greeks later copied

• The Chinese also had their own processes for metalwork and ceramic
materials, but they especially focused on finding minerals, plants, and
substances that could prolong life.
• The Indians, like the Chinese, had a kind of alchemy (rasayana) that
looked at different substances and practices for Vedic medicine. They
also perfected the use of iron and steel and were well- known
manufactures of dyes, glass, cement, solutions for textiles, and soap.

• The Arabs and Muslims enriched not only the practice but also the
literature of chemistry

JABIR IBN- HAYYAN (GEBER) translated the practices and Aristotelian

thinking of the Greeks and wrote extensively on how metals can be
purified. He came up with the preparation of acids such as HNO3, HCl,
H2SO4
 ALCHEMY: THE ART OF
TRANSMUTING
Scientific Contributions Unscientific Contributions
Refined how to crystallize, condense, Used incantations, magic spells, and
distill, evaporate and dissolve metals and symbols
materials
Took lots of notes and information about Used esoteric symbols connected to
what they did astrology and religion
Developed step-by step procedures and Concerned with riches, purity, immortality,
specialized set-ups or equipment and spirits
Discovered and investigated the properties Promoted the Aristotelian concept of the
of many now-useful substances such as P, elements
S, and K.