Alchemy these days is often seen only as a mystical practice purveying the cliché of turning base metals into gold. Alchemy is in fact a significant science for two thousand years. It is the only science. The first alchemists appear in ancient Alexandria, in the early years AD.
Distillation
One of the earliest techniques developed by alchemists, done in ancient Alexandria with equipment as the alembic and retort, distillation involves heating a liquid to create vapor and then cooling the vapor back into liquid. The pelican vessel and cohobation vessel are used for multiple distillations.
Heating liquids can separate the components of a mixture or solution based on boiling points. This understanding led to the production of beverages like whiskey, essential oils and a lot of chemicals.
After the conquest of Egypt by Islam, Muslim alchemists extend on the work of the Alexandrian alchemists. Jabir ibn Hayyan advances the process of distillation. There is a question as to whether Jabir is one or more people.
He invents various distillation devices. Although credited with invention of the alembic, based on al- ("the" in Arabic) and ambix (ambik- ‘cup, cap of a still’ in Greek) it's debatable.
Women in the Sciences
The invention of the alembic is originally attributed to Cleopatra the Alchemist in Greco-Roman Alexandria, a major center of glass making. It may be even earlier, from Mary the Jewess, prolific inventor and darling of the Islamic alchemists. Mary invents the bain-Marie.
Women are the cultivators of alchemy. Much of later science downplays the role of women because, according to science, females are too stupid to do science. However this doesn't stop Renaissance women like Isabella Cortese, Caterina Sforza or Sophie Brahe.
Isabella Cortese brings female literacy up with her "Book of Secrets", written in the language of the people. Her book also produces numerous imitators, many by men pretending to be women.
Caterina Sforza documents over 400 alchemical formulas and recipes, from medicines to make-up. Her book Experimenti is full of notes and observations. She records such cosmetic recipes as lotions, lip colors and hair dyes.
Sophie Brahe works in astronomy and alchemy, charting the skies at the observatory of her brother Tycho.
Sublimation, Crystallization & Other Processes
The process of crystallization involves the creation of solid crystals from a solution, melt, or by direct deposition from a gas phase. Crystallization is achieved by changing the solubility conditions of the solute in the solvent, as opposed to precipitation, which results from a chemical reaction.
Alchemy experiments involve processes such as sublimation, creation of a gas directly from a solid, and crystallization. In general, alchemy processes are based on nature. Other early alchemy processes still used today include fermentation, calcination and cohobation.
Acids and Alkaline Solutions
Alchemists are instrumental in identifying and classifying acids, particularly sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid. Al-Razi and others experiment with various chemical reactions.
Today, acids and bases are fundamental to understanding chemical reactions, creating materials, and synthesizing compounds used in everything from cleaning products to batteries.
New Branches of Metallurgy
Alchemy is partly a product of ancient metallurgy, the science of extracting and manipulating metals. In metallurgy, alchemy develops as a way to color metals or expand their bulk, and moves on from there.
Ancient alchemists develop techniques for smelting, alloying, and purifying metals. Recipes for blending metals, dyeing metals, multiplying metals, metal plating, apart from mordanting and dyeing stones and creating purple are found in the Leyden Stockholm Papyri c. 250 AD.
Use of Indicators and pH Testing
Arnaldus de Villa Nova, a Spanish physician and alchemist, uses litmus for the first time around 1300. The blue dye is extracted from lichens from the 16th century on, especially in the Netherlands.
Use of such natural indicators is important to the alchemical tradition, which uses acid and alkaline ingredients. Alchemists experiment with various substances to understand their properties and reactions with acids and bases.
Today, pH testing is essential in fields ranging from agriculture to medicine, enabling precise monitoring of chemical concentrations and reactions.
Production of Pharmaceuticals
As alchemists explore properties of various plants and minerals, they synthesize compounds for medicinal purposes. Paracelsus, Swiss physician and alchemist, is particularly noted for Spagyria, or the alchemy of plants.
He visits secluded mountain villages, blending modern knowledge with ancient wisdom. Paracelsus is also a pioneer in using chemicals in medicine. He is among the first to assert disease comes from outside the body and is not a product of imbalanced humors.
He gains a vast following and transforms medical practice, leading to formulation of pharmaceuticals using new approaches to drug development. The principles of extracting and testing compounds in medicine is established by alchemists.
“... Many have said of Alchemy, that it is for the making of gold and silver. For me such is not the aim, but to consider only what virtue and power may lie in medicines.”
Paracelsus
8. Chemical Symbols and Notation
As alchemy travels through the ages, the necessity for a universal language becomes clear. Alchemists create symbols to represent different substances and their reactions. In Alexandria these are naturally based on Egyptian hieroglyphs, and evolve from there.
Unfortunately the symbolism of alchemy takes a dire turn after medieval times, when meaning is injected into every twitch of an alchemist's eye. This is one the several reasons alchemy is considered a spiritual practice by later interpreters.
The development of chemical symbols allow efficient documentation of experiments, making complex reactions easier to understand. This innovation has continued to streamline scientific communication, which remains essential for collaboration across disciplines.
The oldest chemical element on the periodic table is phosphorus, discovered 1669 by alchemist Hennig Brand. Experiments and theories make valuable progress through work with chemicals, metals, dyes, acids, elements, compounds and processes.
Development of Glassware
Alchemists make remarkable advancements in laboratory glassware since the early decades AD. They design flasks, beakers, and crucibles now standard in chemical experimentation.
Introduction of glassware improves observation and handling of substances during reactions. Glass transparency allows better monitoring, while its sturdiness provides an environment for heating and cooling experiments. Modern laboratories still heavily rely on glass apparatus.
Paint Pigments
Coloring and dyeing are part of the alchemist's arsenal of wisdom. Pigment making eventually becomes an occupation in itself, but arises from developments in alchemy. Some pigments are heavily toxic. Today's colors are made with non-toxic materials.
Pigments include:
Naples Yellow
Kings' Yellow
And One for Folklore ... Garden Gnomes
These expressive figures begin as a rumbling in the Swiss Alps and end up enjoying life in gardens. Another legacy of Paracelsus, gnomes refer to "gnomic forces" or unknown geological phenomena such as earth tremors, venting gases and rockslides.
Non-Fiction Books:
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