What is one discovery made by an alchemist that is still used today?
Alchemists' efforts to discover the way the world is made have had an enduring impact on artistic practice and expression around the globe. Inventions born from alchemical laboratories include metal alloys for sculpture and ornament, oil paints, effects in glassmaking, and even the chemical baths of photography.
Alchemy practiced in Greece and Egypt contributed to the discovery of metallurgy and dyes used for making weapons and clothes, some natural processes which are still practiced today in he production of clothes across the world.
Alchemists laid the groundwork for many chemical processes, such as the refining of ores, the production of gunpowder, the manufacture of glass and ceramics, leather tanning, and the production of inks, dyes, and paints.
We can describe alchemy as the start of the system of modern science in many parts of the world. Of the modern sciences, chemistry is the closest to alchemy in name and in practice. Classifying matter into different elements, states and categories was an alchemical pursuit.
Alchemy is still practiced today by a small number of practitioners who focused symbolic and spiritual aspects of alchemy, combined with a “New Age” approach. Some alchemical techniques are still actively practiced in traditional medicine, using a combination of pharmacological and spiritual techniques.
The modern-day and contemporary alchemist actively and consciously engages in practices to transform the human conditions for the better. With an emphasis on the human condition, modern-day alchemy focuses on carrying out the ancient alchemical practices on the human spirit rather than base metals.
Alchemy is the practice of using spirituality or science to transform one type of matter into another. Alchemy is the historical precursor to chemistry. The most famous example of this is the quest to turn lead into gold.
Example: They alchemically subjected the metal to all kinds of conditions, but couldn't change it into anything new. Example: The negotiator alchemically converted the two sides' animosity into compassion.
Isaac Newton: The World's Most Famous Alchemist.
What are 3 examples of substances discovered during the alchemy period?
CE to 1734: arsenic, antimony, phosphorus, bismuth.
Alchemist Contributions to Chemistry
Alchemists laid the groundwork for many chemical processes, such as the refining of ores, the production of gunpowder, the manufacture of glass and ceramics, leather tanning, and the production of inks, dyes, and paints.

The concept of the alchemical creation of life (takwin) found within medieval Islamic alchemy expresses the metaphysical and material process of the generation of life (animal, vegetable, and mineral).
On January 13, 1404, King Henry IV of England signed a law making it a felony to create gold and silver out of thin air. The Act Against Multiplication, as it was formally titled, outlawed something called "multiplication," which in alchemy meant taking some of a material, like gold, and somehow creating more of it.
The Fall Of Alchemy: c.1600-1700AD
In addition, the new physical sciences were gaining impetus with the noble classes. These sciences were based upon the theories of alchemy, but discarded the concepts of magic in favour of reason and logic. They eventually led to what are known today as physics and chemistry.
Cleopatra the Alchemist (Greek: Κλεοπάτρα; fl. c. 3rd century AD) was a Greek alchemist, author, and philosopher. She experimented with practical alchemy but is also credited as one of the four female alchemists who could produce the philosopher's stone.
The homunculus has had a colourful history in Arab-Islamic and European cultures. In medieval and early modern times, the term was commonly used to refer to an artificial humanlike being that people thought could be created through alchemy.
Moreover, alchemy was, in fact, illegal in many European countries from the Middle Ages down to the early modern period. This is because rulers were afraid of undermining the gold standard, of corrupting the gold supply in Europe. So alchemists adapted the way they wrote to be more secretive.
Alchemy, the mystical chemistry of antiquity and the Middle Ages, features prominently in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, as signalled by the original British title of the first of the seven novels: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Rowling 1997).
The work of historians of science continues to reveal the enormous complexity and diversity of alchemy, its important position in human history and culture, and its continuities with what we now call chemistry.
What is real alchemy?
Real Alchemy is an easy to understand manual in Practical Alchemy. It explores the History of Alchemy to the present day, as well as practical techniques for beginning the Alchemical Work in the Laboratory. It is written by Modern Day Alchemist and Chemist, Robert Allen Bartlett.
Claims are sometimes made that Leonardo da Vinci was an alchemist. He was trained in the workshop of Verrocchio, who according to Vasari, was an able alchemist. Leonardo was a chemist in so much as that he experimented with different media for suspending paint pigment.
Mary the Jewess (around 0-200 CE) was the first known alchemist in history. She lived in Eygpt and invented processes and apparatuses that were used for centuries after that. Her story became something of a legend in later Arabic and Christian writings.
There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.
The Rebis (from the Latin res bina, meaning dual or double matter) is the end product of the alchemical magnum opus or great work.
In the beginning, or at least following the Big Bang more than 14 billion years ago, there was hydrogen, some helium and a little bit of lithium. A grand total of three elements. Today, there are nearly 100 known naturally occurring elements, with hundreds of variants.
In its most simple form, this theory says that all living things are made of five elements. In astrology and alchemy they are called fire, water, air, earth and ether. In oriental medicine, they are referred to as fire, water, metal, earth and wood.
The introduction of alchemy to the west came in the 8th Century when the Arabs brought it to Spain. From here it quickly spread to the rest of Europe. The Arabian belief was that metals are made up of mercury and sulfur in varying proportions.
The pioneering medieval Arab alchemist, Jābir ibn Hayyān or Geber maintained the four classical elements of air, earth, fire, and water but added to them two new philosophical elements: sulphur and mercury.
And they had eventually succeeded in demonstrating that the atoms in radioactive materials disintegrate, so that the atoms of a radioactive element are transformed into another element. Transmutation, which had been sought for so many centuries by alchemists, happened spontaneously and naturally.
When did the alchemist make his discovery?
It has been suggested that The Alchymist refers to the discovery of phosphorus by the Hamburg alchemist Hennig Brand in 1669. This story was often printed in popular chemical books in Wright's lifetime, and was widely known.
Alchemy is possible in real life, but the reasons behind it are far different from what original alchemists thought. The original alchemists thought they could spiritually bring elements to perfection, turning them into gold.
Alchemical: The adjective form of alchemy indicates when something is related to that early practice or undergoes a surprising transformation. Example: Their alchemical search to turn lead into gold yielded no breakthroughs.
The alchemists believed that all metals were formed from two principles — mercury and sulfur. The mercury, with its essential property of fluidity and fusibility, gave rise to the malleability of metals. The sulphur, with its essential property of combustibility, contributed body and calcination (rusting).
Gold is one of the seven metals of alchemy (gold, silver, mercury, copper, lead, iron & tin). For the alchemist, it represented the perfection of all matter on any level, including that of the mind, spirit, and soul.
Alchemist Contributions to Chemistry
Alchemists laid the groundwork for many chemical processes, such as the refining of ores, the production of gunpowder, the manufacture of glass and ceramics, leather tanning, and the production of inks, dyes, and paints.
Alchemy, the predecessor of modern chemistry, has influenced the discovery of several scientific concepts and experimental methodologies that have constructed the foundational basis of empirical science.
“The Alchemist” teaches readers something about the importance of self-discovery by taking us through the journey of a young shepherd, Santiago. The book espouses individuality as a means of achieving the ultimate goals of creation.
- Sulfur – The fluid connecting the High and the Low. Sulfur was used to denote the expansive force, evaporation, and dissolution.
- Mercury — The omnipresent spirit of life. Mercury was believed to transcend the liquid and solid states. ...
- Salt — Base matter.
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun
- https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/hodgdon-triple-7-easy-clean-muzzleloading-propellant
- https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/chinese-invention-gunpowder-explosives-and-artillery-and-their-impact-european-warfare
- https://www.chron.com/life/article/People-s-Pharmacy-Don-t-believe-the-saltpeter-1797523.php
- https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3012400/chinese-invented-firearms-others-improved-them
- https://uwaterloo.ca/chem13-news-magazine/february-2019/feature/ancients-and-alchemists
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_inventions_of_Leonardo_da_Vinci
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muzzleloader
- https://china.usc.edu/sites/default/files/forums/Chinese%20Inventions.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Assault_Weapons_Ban
- https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-05/documents/9530608.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder
- https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/best-black-powder-black-powder-substitutes/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordite
- https://www.breakingatom.com/learn-the-periodic-table/alchemy-and-modern-chemistry
- https://www.getty.edu/research/exhibitions_events/exhibitions/alchemy
- https://www.quora.com/Why-didnt-the-native-Americans-have-gunpowder-to-use-against-Spaniards
- https://www.thoughtco.com/tria-prima-three-primes-of-alchemy-603699
- https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Gunpowder
- https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_circulars/CR500/index.html
- http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2002/crabb/history.html
- https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/saltpeter-mining-5472/
- https://www.ducksters.com/history/china/inventions_technology.php
- https://www.ammunitiondepot.com/blog/gun-history-when-was-the-first-gun-made
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_firearm
- https://www.thoughtco.com/mary-the-jewess-biography-3530346
- https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Introductory_Chemistry_(CK-12)/01%3A_Introduction_to_Chemistry/1.03%3A_Alchemy
- https://everything-everywhere.com/the-history-of-gunpowder/
- https://crimefictionbook.com/2015/04/30/whats-the-smell-cordite-vs-gunpowder-vs-propellant/
- https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/expanding-smokeless-powder-database
- https://www.fastbound.com/ffl-blog/is-an-ffl-needed-for-a-muzzleloader/
- https://thebarkingcrow.com/what-happens-if-you-eat-gunpowder/
- https://homeguides.sfgate.com/epsom-salts-saltpeter-yards-54734.html
- https://study.com/learn/lesson/alchemy-transmutation-process-purpose.html
- https://www.britannica.com/technology/gunpowder
- https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/small-arms-revolution
- https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/gunpowder
- https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/g/Gunpowder.htm
- https://uwkcase.com/blogs/blog/does-ammo-go-bad
- http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2002/tubb/history.htm
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/kionasmith/2018/01/13/the-day-england-outlawed-alchemy/
- https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/inventions-by-country
- https://www.rockislandauction.com/riac-blog/black-powder-substitute
- https://www.nytimes.com/1861/08/10/archives/gunpowder-and-its-manufacture-where-and-how-it-is-made-the.html
- https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1911_pistol
- https://thecounty.me/2019/11/29/sports/continue-deer-hunting-with-muzzleloading-guns/
- https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/the-secrets-of-alchemy
- https://www.wineverygame.com/words/alchemy.html
- https://everything-everywhere.com/isaac-newton-the-worlds-most-famous-alchemist/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.50-90_Sharps
- https://www.thoughtco.com/gunpowder-facts-and-history-607754
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alchemist_Discovering_Phosphorus
- https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2014/in-the-beginning-there-were-three-elements
- https://www.thecollector.com/first-guns/
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322609
- https://www.atf.gov/explosives/qa/does-purchaser-black-powder-have-sign-any-forms-time-purchase
- https://shop.otmtactical.com/The-History-of-Ammunition-The-First-Bullet.html
- https://www.liveandinvestoverseas.com/lifestyle/countries-with-the-strictest-gun-laws-in-the-world/
- https://shop.hodgdon.com/winchester-231/
- https://www.cram.com/essay/Santiagos-Journey-Of-Self-Discovery-In-The/FCL584SCT
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/from-gunpowder-to-teeth-whitener-the-science-behind-historic-uses-of-urine-442390/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heilongjiang_hand_cannon
- https://www.shippingschool.com/is-it-legal-to-ship-gunpowder/
- https://www.allthescience.org/can-you-really-make-gunpowder-from-urine.htm
- https://royalarmouries.org/stories/chinese-arms-and-armour/
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/pick-a-pen/lessons-from-the-alchemist-28085/
- https://editions.covecollective.org/chronologies/discovery-gunpowder
- https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/13things/7687.html
- https://goexpowder.com/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1911_pistol
- https://www.quora.com/What-technology-has-the-best-chance-of-replacing-gunpowder-weapons-in-the-future
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder_Empire
- https://elawtalk.com/types-of-gunpowder/
- https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/focus/inventions.htm
- https://www.atf.gov/explosives/black-powder
- https://flexbooks.ck12.org/cbook/ck-12-chemistry-flexbook-2.0/section/1.3/primary/lesson/alchemy-chem/
- https://www.thinkpragati.com/bookshelf/3413/china-lost-gunpowder-wars/
- https://www.britannica.com/technology/military-technology/The-gunpowder-revolution-c-1300-1650
- https://www.goshootindoors.com/ammunition-expiration-date/
- https://www.britannica.com/science/saltpeter
- https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/guis/black_powder_manual.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokeless_powder
- https://utahcarrylaws.com/felons-black-powder-guns/
- https://www.nps.gov/casa/learn/historyculture/gunpowder.htm
- https://www.chuckhawks.com/difference_black_powders.htm
- https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/technique/gun-timeline/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_gunpowder
- https://www.rifleshootermag.com/editorial/how-to-determine-gunpowder-shelf-life/83922
- https://emedia.rmit.edu.au/learninglab/content/alchemy-chemistry
- http://digitalexhibits.wsulibs.wsu.edu/exhibits/show/civilwar/tech/ammunition
- https://www.history.com/news/medieval-weapons-knights-middle-ages
- http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/songdynasty-module/tech-gunpowder.html
- https://successmindedmaverick.com/2021/08/empower-yourself-how-to-become-a-modern-day-alchemist/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder_artillery_in_the_Middle_Ages
- https://www.thoughtco.com/invention-of-gunpowder-195160
- https://www.hunter-ed.com/pennsylvania/studyGuide/Powders-for-Muzzleloaders/20103901_88550/
- https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/inventions/who-invented-the-first-gun.htm
- https://www.thoughtco.com/where-to-buy-saltpeter-or-potassium-nitrate-3976011
- https://www.carolinasportsman.com/hunting/deer-hunting/unload-your-muzzleloader-at-the-end-of-the-day-to-avoid-future-problems/
- https://www.britannica.com/video/187015/alchemists-knowledge
- https://uwaterloo.ca/chemistry/community-outreach/2019-international-year-periodic-table-timeline-elements/ancients-and-alchemists-bce-1734
- https://www.cabinet.ox.ac.uk/alchemy-four-elements-and-tria-prima
- https://www.hunter-ed.com/muzzleloader/studyGuide/Granulation/222099_88835/
- https://www.fancysprinkles.com/products/onyx-black-edible-glitter
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebis
- https://www.amazon.com/Real-Alchemy-Primer-Practical/dp/0615150381
- https://giffords.org/lawcenter/gun-laws/policy-areas/child-consumer-safety/non-powder-toy-guns/
- https://aggietranscript.ucdavis.edu/the-roots-of-chemistry-how-the-ancient-tradition-of-alchemy-influenced-modern-scientific-thought/
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-43406560
- https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/saltpetre-mining.htm
- https://spacedoutscientist.com/2015/05/16/alchemy-how-a-tradition-spanning-millennia-became-modern-chemistry/
- https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/leading-figures/the-true-alchemists/
- http://za.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/znjl/Culture/200412/t20041213_7631027.htm
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_powder_substitute
- https://muse.jhu.edu/article/716143/pdf
- http://trinketsandtrash.org/visual_exhibits2/visual_exhibits_cigarette_design8.htm
- https://repository.upenn.edu/dissertations/AAI9503804/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antique_firearms
- https://www.britannica.com/science/potassium-nitrate
- https://culinaryteas.com/blogs/news/75733509-why-is-this-tea-called-gunpowder
- https://man.fas.org/dod-101/sys/land/bullets3.htm
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_the_Alchemist
- https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_440084
- https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Black-Powder
- https://www.ign.com/wikis/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/Saltpeter
- https://www.nrawomen.com/content/scoring-an-f-in-black-powder/
- https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/firearms
- https://www.wired.com/story/west-point-chemists-recreate-medieval-gunpowder-recipes/
- https://www.britannica.com/science/homunculus-biology
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QBZ-95
- https://hodgdon.com/faq-items/gunpowder-stability/
- https://freerangeamerican.us/goex-returns/
- https://www.acs.org/pressroom/presspacs/2021/acs-presspac-october-20-2021/blowing-up-medieval-gunpowder-recipes.html
- https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/74466/what-happens-to-gunpowder-when-it-gets-wet
- https://www.nap.edu/read/6289/chapter/2
- https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/alchemy/79/gold
- https://www.desert-alchemy.com/kit/fe/
- https://www.starlinebrass.com/articles/black-powder-vs-smokeless-powder-comparing-gunpowder-types/
- https://www.gd-ots.com/propellants/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_weapons
- https://www.deeranddeerhunting.com/content/articles/deer-news/prevent-worst-muzzleloading-nightmare
- https://www.thoughtco.com/saltpeter-or-potassium-nitrate-608490