There are many reasons why I choose alchemy as my subject. One I never learned much about it. I also was always curious as to what it was and if it was even possible at doing. Another curiosity I had was where it had originated from. We do not learn much about alchemy in school or what it actually is and I don’t believe that I will be able to get the chance to study alchemy. Recently I changed my major and decided to become a teacher instead. With this new knowledge about what is alchemy and where it came from I am hoping that I will be able to answer their questions about the subject better than my teachers were able to explain it to me. I also want to find out if there are any modern alchemists still practicing. These …show more content…
When one mentions alchemy the first thing that comes to many minds is the transformation of metals into gold. This may be somewhat of how alchemy came to be, but there were many other discoveries while alchemists were trying to change metals into gold. Alchemy can be defined most simply as the “art of transformation”. Alchemy is one of the oldest sciences. It can go back to biblical times. Alchemy is what laid a path for chemistry and modern psychology. Alchemy is used on a psychological way by treating the chemical imbalances in the body. If you go all the way back to when alchemy was first starting you would land in Egypt. The Egyptians were looking for a way to speed up the natural process of perfection. In trying to do this they also searched for ways in perfecting the mind and body. However the Chinese were also laying a path to alchemy. However, their motives were far different. Instead of focusing on metals they looked to the medicine side of alchemy and tried to find a way to preserve their youth. Many different ways alchemy is described to be but it is just the basic transformation of one thing into …show more content…
Instead of transforming lead into gold he changed nitrogen into oxygen by loading it with alpha particles. Rutherford’s point was that some alchemical ambitions now seem ridiculous but, its techniques, instruments, and attitudes lie at the heart of experimental science. Ancient alchemist had similar motives as modern day scientist, there goal to alter and understand the world. Alchemist influenced the world in many different ways. For example, they invented stills for collecting liquid. Although they never created the gold they needed to isolate all the chemicals they were working on. By isolating these chemicals and running controlled experiments over and over again they were providing the template for the scientific method. By the 18th century alchemist had given up on the goal of transforming lead into gold, but the understanding of material composition of things through analysis to make useful products like medicines and various redefined chemicals were inherited from the 16th and 17th century