EXPERIMENTAL ALCHEMY

Much is said and written regarding alchemy all across the world, in what could be called a renaissance of alchemical studies. However, relatively little is done in terms of actual alchemical laboratory work. The aim of the project described herein was to show how crucial the development of technical alchemical practice was along the centuries, in the discovery of an immense number of substances, processes and operations, which were of paramount importance in the establishment of modern chemistry. Alchemy is often derided in many circles. On the contrary, for two thousand years it constituted the basis of humankind’s understanding of the material world and the changes undergone by compounds and materials. Here we present an experimental reconstitution of several alchemical discoveries of great importance, using old descriptions followed by modern characterizations. The results were often startling and demonstrated how ancient wisdom bore fruit in different ways, even in the absence of our present-day means of analysis.