In one form or another, alchemy has existed for an estimated 2,500 years with the ancient practice beginning around the 4th Century BC. This study is often associated with words ranging from ‘chemistry’ to ‘witchcraft,’ and even ‘magic,’ but its significance stretches far beyond these three adjectives. Passed down from Arabia and Egypt to Greeks and Romans over the centuries, alchemy was the birth of chemistry; fundamentally it was built around what people of the time considered to be the three most pivotal aspects of life: knowledge, youth, and wealth.
Alchemy’s three fundamental aims consisted of finding the Philosopher’s Stone and the Elixir of Life, and performing the transmutation of metals. These three aims, however, could each be fulfilled by the discovery of the Philosopher’s Stone, which was ultimately at the heart and centre of alchemy. You may have heard of this stone from Harry Potter, never to think about it again; however, through the eyes of an alchemist, the goal of creating and finding this imaginary object was the centre of their universe. The Philosopher’s Stone (Magnum Opus) was believed to enable the transmutation of base metals into noble metals, such as gold, as well as being able to grant immortality, eternal youth, and health to those who possessed it, therefore acting as the Elixir of Life.
Another belief alchemists held was that every metal was fundamentally the same as any other, with their varying characteristics depending on their level of purity. Gold was considered the ‘purest’ metal due to its resistance to tarnishing, and it was believed that in time, all other metals would eventually turn to gold through natural processes. In the modern day we are aware of the existence of different elements, therefore disproving the alchemists’ theory.
However, their willingness to experiment, and desire to speed up this ‘natural process’ led to a trial-and-error way of thinking, which became one of the foundations of modern chemistry. Outstandingly, scientists in recent months have succeeded in turning lead into gold- 29 picograms exactly- using the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. This process occurs when lead atoms are repeatedly fired at each other, and many have even called it ‘modern-day alchemy’.
Following a similar thought process to most children as they are growing up, (and before they take science lessons), in around 300BCE Aristotle put forward the view that all matter was divided into air, water, earth, or fire. Alchemists thereafter worked according to this perception of matter, until German alchemist Hennig Brand discovered phosphorous in 1669, during one of his attempts to find the Philosopher’s Stone. This was the first (non-naturally occurring) element known to be discovered by mankind, made as Brand noticed a thick, glowing substance after heating urine with charcoal. Hence the derivative of Latin word phosphorus which means ‘light-bearing,’ was deemed fit for the newly discovered substance. This discovery might even make the list of the strangest ways humans have accidentally made scientific history!
Another significant scientific advancement made through the practice of alchemy was the synthesis of mineral acids, which happened when famous alchemist Jabir Ibn Hayyan was isolating nitric, sulfuric, and hydrochloric acid. He mixed all these acids to form a combination he called aqua regia, which was used in WWII to dissolve the Nobel Prize medals of Jewish laureates, in order to hide them from the Nazis. They were later re-precipitated to solid gold after the war.
One fact concerning alchemy that may upset the physicists reading, was the involvement of Isaac Newton in this ancient practice. Many are surprised to learn that Newton didn’t just dabble in alchemy, but he wrote more about alchemy than about physics: over a million of his surviving words concern alchemy which is remarkably more than all his published work on gravity and optics combined.
I believe that it is important for us to realise how all the alchemical goals have evolved over time, as technological advancements have transformed the way we live and act. As humans we persist in trying to find ways of living longer through medicine, and while immortality has so far proven impossible it doesn’t stop us from the quest of finding anti-ageing lotions and potions. We now know that gold cannot simply be created from other metals, but our interest has been struck by lab-grown gemstones and the redefinition of wealth through the trading of cryptocurrencies, in addition to the traditional gold so deeply valued by people living in the time of alchemy.
The word ‘chemistry’ itself comes from ‘alchemy’, which I would conclude has not been ‘disproved’, but has merely evolved into what we call chemistry today.
