Muslim's influence on Alchemy and Chemistry
59
Spain is the land of great cultural richness, once known as the Iberian peninsula at some point in history. It has been greatly influenced by muslims, not only in its language but in other areas as well such as alchemy that later modernized chemistry. Alchemy is an area where philosophy, science, occultism, and theology come together. With the newfound knowledge, scientists were able to develop this information and implement it to what we know today, chemistry. #Muslim
plain
2023-08-10T14:34:40-07:00
Alchemy has been around for thousands of years, it has influenced Spain in a multitude of ways scientifically. The transition of alchemy to chemistry during the 17th and 18th century shifted to a more credible field of scientific research. Muslims were the pioneers of modern chemistry, with the knowledge they possess they branched out and started discovering more complex ideas. In the main image, an older man, an alchemist, is in the midst of discovering the element phosphorus. From reading numerous books to putting it all together in a beaker, analyzing the complexity of the abstract form just creates space for credibility. Light sources were important to observe what you had in front of you, not only to plan and write down everything that you've observed but also to detect new information that is not visible to the naked eye in daylight.
Dating back to the early seventeenth and eighteenth century, alchemy and chemistry were at one point seen as interwoven. As time progressed, the union of disciplines began to unravel into two separate subjects. Alchemy has been considered to be more philosophical but considering the initial discovery was made by an alchemist, they started to experiment with their techniques and soon discovered the four elements; Fire, Water, Earth and Air. In this image you can see laboratory equipment that chemists use to experiment with liquids to create other substances and or reactions. Even though they share many similarities with each other, there are many factors that set them apart. Alchemy is mostly based on philosophical ideas compared to chemistry that is based on experiments, observations and facts. Having a strong foundation, chemistry has been able to further advance everything in our life such as the clothing we wear (made of matter), the food we eat, the technology we use but most importantly chemists have been able to create medicine that is being used to save lives.
The influence alchemy has had on chemistry has created what we see today. The objects around us are all made of solid matter that is made of atoms and molecules and so forth. Starting from spiritual alchemy, a metaphor for transforming metals into gold to reach enlightenment to Chemistry that has a greater emphasis on rational thoughts and experimentation. Muslims influence opened up doors for people to use their creativity and knowledge to further advance us into a more advanced world. The images above all share one thing in common, the dedication for science.
