Lesson 3 Atomos, Aristotle and Alchemy (Chemistry Before Modern History) CONTENT: How the idea of the atom, along with the idea of the elements evolved CONTENT STANDARD At the end of the lesson, you will have to describe: 1. how the concept of the atom evolved from Ancient Greek to the present; and 2. how the concept of the element evolved from Ancient Greek to the present LEARNING COMPETENCIES At the end of the lesson, you will have to: 1. describe the ideas of the Ancient Greeks on the atom (S11/12PS-IIIa-b-5) 2. describe the ideas of the Ancient Greeks on the elements (2 hours) (S11/12PS-IIIa-b-6) 3. describe the contributions of the alchemists to the science of chemistry (S11/12PS-IIIb-7)

1. LESSON 3:

2. CONTENT
How the idea of the atom, along with the idea of the
elements evolved
CONTENT
STANDARD
At the end of the lesson, you will have to describe:
1. how the concept of the atom evolved from Ancient
Greek to the present; and
2. how the concept of the element evolved from Ancient
Greek to the present
LEARNING
COMPETENCIES
At the end of the lesson, you will have to:
1. describe the ideas of the Ancient Greeks on the atom
(S11/12PS-IIIa-b-5)
2. describe the ideas of the Ancient Greeks on the
elements (2 hours) (S11/12PS-IIIa-b-6)
3. describe the contributions of the alchemists to the
science of chemistry (S11/12PS-IIIb-7)

3. RECALL
ATOM

4. KEY TERMS
1) Leucippus and Democritus -
2) Atomism –
3) Aristotle –
4) Jabir Ibn-Hayyan (Geber) –
5) Alchemy –
6) Protoscience –
7) Pseudoscience –

6. Atoms
Atoms are simply gnomes in
their smallest form. So small, one
can’t even see these gnomes under
a microscope. Each of these
itty-bitty gnomes hold hands and
feet to build webs of atoms which create everything we
have in our infinite universe. From drawers to doors- it’s
all made of gnomes! Radioactivity arises when one
unwanted gnome is thrown from his structure and
hurdles toward another.

7. Gravity
Gnomes like the ground. Gnomes throw small invisible
ropes to the ground. These ropes attach to unseen hooks
that enable muscle-toned gnomes to
pull themselves toward the ground.
There is minimal gravity far from planetary
bodies (i.e. in space) because gnomes don’t
have cables long enough for them. All bodies
experience gravitational attraction to each
other quite simply because gnomes are, to
put it mildly, sociable creatures.

8. Light
Gnomes that make up our eyes can see what color
hats other gnomes are wearing to make up, say, a
table. They then hi-five gnomes in our 'optical nerve'
who run to tell the brain gnomes what
they have seen. This makes us think
we are seeing a table when in fact,
it's all gnomes.

9. States of Matter
A solid is little more than a closely compacted configuration
of gnomes all holding hands, wearing hats and having legs.
Heating causes gnomes to become excited or tickled. They
start to loosen their grip of their neighbors (liquid). When
gnomes are tickled, they are no longer able to hold on and
just float away in groups of one or more (gas).
Sometimes the gnomes
get so excited they catch
fire (plasma).

11. OUTLINE OF TOPICS
I. Atomism
II. Non-atomistic views
of the Greeks
III. Growth of alchemy across
different civilizations
IV. Western Alchemy

13. Leucippus and Democritus
• were two of the most important theorists about the
natural and physical world
• they were called physicists in Ancient Greece
• they considered the idea of atomism

14. ATOMISM
 the idea that things are
made up of much smaller
things that cannot be
changed nor divided.

15. ATOMISM
• Atoms make up most of the things in the universe;
where there are no atoms, there is a void.
• Atoms are incredibly small and cannot be divided,
hence atomos (uncuttable).
• Atoms themselves are solid, homogeneous and cannot
change.
• Atoms moving about and colliding in the void cause the
changes we see in our universe.
• The shapes, sizes and weights of individual atoms
influence the characteristics of the thing they make up.

18. Non-atomistic views of the Greeks
Anaxagoras
He is a philosopher that argued
that there was an infinite
number of elementary natural
substances in the form of
infinitesimally small particles
that combined to comprise the
different things in the universe.

19. Non-atomistic views of the Greeks
Empedocles
He is a philosopher who
stated that everything is
made up of four eternal and
unchanging kinds of matter
fire, air (all gases), water
(all liquids and metals) and
earth (all solids).

20. Non-atomistic views of the Greeks
Plato
Each of the four kinds of
matter is composed of
geometrical solids (“Platonic
solids”) further divisible into
triangles.

21. Non-atomistic views of the Greeks
Aristotle
The four elements could be
balanced in substances in an
infinite number of ways, and
that when combined gave
proportions of “essential
qualities,” hot, dry, cold and
wet. Transformations between
the four elements caused
changes in the universe.

23. ALCHEMY
a science that was used in the
Middle Ages with the goal of
changing ordinary metals into
gold
from the Arabic/Greek alkīmiyā
or “the art of transmuting”

26. Mesopotamians
• had techniques to utilize metals like
gold and copper
• assigned certain symbols to match
metals with the heavenly bodies such
as the Sun and Moon
• made use of other materials such as
dyes, glass, paints, and perfumes.

29. Egyptians
• adapted techniques
from the
Mesopotamians and
perfected the use of
bronze, dye and glass
that the Greeks later
copied.

30. Chinese
• had their own processes for metalwork
and ceramic materials
• focused on finding minerals, plants and
substances that could prolong life
• Some of the substances discovered in Chinese
medicine have been found to have actual
positive effects while others were found useless
or even harmful, like mercury.

32. Indians
• like the Chinese, had a kind of alchemy
(rasayana) that looked at different substances
and practices for Vedic medicine. This is tied
closely to Hindu and Buddhist beliefs.
• perfected the use of iron and steel
• well-known manufacturers of dyes,
glass, cement, solutions for textiles, and
soap.

33. Arabs and Muslims
• enriched not only the practice but also the literature of chemistry.

34. Arabs and Muslims
Jabir Ibn-Hayyan
 a scholar, also “Geber”
 translated the practices and
Aristotelian thinking of the Greeks
and wrote extensively on how metals can be
purified. He came up with the preparation of
acids such as nitric, hydrochloric and sulfuric
acids, as well as aqua regia (nitro-hydrochloric acid).

36. The field of alchemy became popular in the Western
world because of Aristotle’s ideas on the elements and the
techniques developed by other civilizations.
Alchemists tried to play with the balance of the four
elements (fire, water, air, earth) and three principles (salt,
sulfur and mercury) to transform or transmute substances.
Among their aims was to try and transform “impure” or
“base” metals like lead or iron into the “purer” metals of
silver or gold, discover a magical “Philosopher’s Stone,”
and produce the so-called “Elixir of Life.” With a T-chart,
distinguish how alchemy both contributed to and
hampered scientific thought.

37. Scientific Contributions Unscientific Contributions
refined how to crystallize,
condense, distill, evaporate and
dissolve metals and materials
used incantations, magic spells
and symbols
took lots of notes and information
about what they did
used esoteric symbols connected to
astrology and religion
developed step-by-step procedures
and specialized set-ups or
equipment
concerned with riches, purity,
immortality, and spirits
discovered and investigated the
properties of many now-useful
substances such as phosphorus,
sulfur and potash
promoted the Aristotelian concept
of the elements

38. Protoscience
 An unscientific field of study which
later developed into real science
(e.g. astrology toward astronomy
and alchemy toward chemistry).
 also called “emerging science” or
“near science”

39. Pseudoscience
 consists of statements, beliefs,
or practices that are claimed to
be scientific and factual, in the
absence of evidence gathered
and constrained by appropriate
scientific methods

42. Alchemy: Lead Into Gold
Alchemy is both a philosophy and a practice with an aim of achieving
ultimate wisdom as well as immortality, involving the improvement of the
alchemist as well as the making of several substances described as
possessing unusual properties. The practical aspect of alchemy generated
the basics of modern inorganic chemistry, namely concerning procedures,
equipment and the identification and use of many current substances.
The fundamental ideas of alchemy are said to have arisen in the ancient
Persian Empire. Alchemy has been practised in Mesopotamia (comprising
much of today's Iraq), Egypt, Persia (today's Iran), India, China, Japan,
Korea and in Classical Greece and Rome, in the Muslim civilizations, and
then in Europe up to the 20th century, in a complex network of schools
and philosophical systems spanning at least 2500 years.

43. The best-known goals of the alchemists were the transmutation of
common metals into gold (called chrysopoeia) or silver (less well known is
plant alchemy, or "spagyric"); the creation of a "panacea", or the elixir of
life, a remedy that, it was supposed, would cure all diseases and prolong
life indefinitely; and the discovery of a universal solvent. Although these
were not the only uses for the discipline, they were the ones most
documented and well-known. Certain Hermetic schools argue that the
transmutation of lead into gold is analogical for the transmutation of the
physical body (Saturn or lead) into Solar energy (gold) with the goal of
attaining immortality. This is described as Internal Alchemy. Starting with
the Middle Ages, Arabic and European alchemists invested much effort in
the search for the "philosopher's stone", a legendary substance that was
believed to be an essential ingredient for either or both of those goals.

44. Lead (atomic number 82) and gold (atomic number 79) are defined as
elements by the number of protons they possess. Changing the element
requires changing the atomic (proton) number. The number of protons cannot
be altered by any chemical means. However, physics may be used to add or
remove protons and thereby change one element into another. Because lead
is stable, forcing it to release three protons requires a vast input of energy,
such that the cost of transmuting it greatly surpasses the value of the
resulting gold.
Transmutation of lead into gold isn't just theoretically possible - it has been
achieved.. There are reports that Glenn Seaborg, 1951 Nobel Laureate in
Chemistry, succeeded in transmuting a minute quantity of lead (possibly en
route from bismuth, in 1980) into gold. There is an earlier report (1972) in
which Soviet physicists at a nuclear research facility near Lake Baikal in
Siberia accidentally discovered a reaction for turning lead into gold when they
found the lead shielding of an experimental reactor had changed to gold.