From Alchemy to Chemistry

Abstract

The seventeenth century was the period in which modern science began to emerge, and its evolution from its mediaeval precursor is usually termed the Scientific Revolution. Like most revolutions in human history, it was not a sudden or simple process. If we are to attempt to understand the activities and beliefs of the alchemists and chemists of this period, we must view their work against the background of this revolution. By the end of the seventeenth century the new science of chemistry was providing fresh explanations for the properties of materials and their transformations, and the alchemist’s dream of making gold was beginning to fade.