Alchemy consisted of trying to alter the proportions of these elements to make desired substances. In other words, silver was thought toĬonsist of earth, air, fire, and water as were frogs, bricks, and everything else in the universe. For example, mercury is referred to in their writings as green lion, venomous dragon, mother egg, or doorkeeper.Īlchemists believed that all matter was made of the same four elements (earth, air, fire, and water) in different arrangements and proportions. As a result, alchemists used symbols and coded language that made it nearly impossible for an outsider to understand them. Secrets they uncovered might lead to great evil if they fell into the wrong hands. Another reason for alchemists' secrecy was their fear that any powerful The punishments of the Inquisition could be severe and even deadly. The Inquisition was established in the thirteenth century by the Catholic Church to try people who rebelled against religious authority. Many faced the threat of the Inquisition if their experiments were looked on unfavorably. This was partly due to the religious circumstances of the times. Throughout the Middle Ages, alchemists tended to cloak their written work in symbolism and secrecy. The work of Robert Boyle (1627-1691) helped to change this impression and led to the establishment of chemistry as an independent, modern science. ![]() Many scientists of the time viewed chemistry as a pseudo-science much like astrology and palm reading are viewed today. This goal included the conversion of metals into gold and the discovery of a potion that would cure all disease. Alchemy was a combination of philosophy, religion, and primitive science whose chief goal was the perfection of matter. The field that had the most direct impact on the birth of modern chemistry was alchemy. ![]() In addition, chemistry played a role in many different fields that did not necessarily share knowledge with one another: medicine, metallurgy (the science of metals and their uses), pottery making, glass manufacturing, and alchemy. Scientists still had not agreed upon language to describe chemicals and had no ways of classifying them. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, chemistry remained in its infancy.
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