The Long, Sterile Period of Alchemy
Beginning during the Christian Era to about the late 17th, and 18th centuries.
uring the Middle Ages there existed a kind of primitive science called alchemy. Its objective was to discover a substance called the philosophers' stone. This elusive material was thought to transform common metals such as lead into silver or gold. Another objective of the alchemists' researches was the "elixir of life" a potion that would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely. Many discoveries of new elements and compounds were made during this period; but the alchemists discovered very little that was worthwhile concerning the fundamental nature of matter or the true nature of chemical reactions. They were not able to do so because their basic theories were so far from describing what actually happens, as such occurrences have been interpreted in modern times.
Copyright © Compton's NewMedia, Inc.
Links to Sites and Alchemy Pages
© 1998
Mary Lee, Michelle Wan