Alchemists Search For Gold And Elixir Of Life
Chemists have known for over 200 years that chemical reaction can not be used to change atoms of one element into those of other elements. However 2000 years ago attempts to produce gold from other substances seemed perfectly reasonable. Ko Hung a scholar of fourth century was the foremost Chinese authority on the subject of alchemy. He justified attempts to change baser substances into gold a process called Transmutation by noting that many examples of transmutation are found in the natural world. For example Caterpillars turn into Moths Snakes into Dragons Rotting Grass into Fireflies and Old Bears into Foxes. These odd revelations had become basis of realization that matter does change over time just as humans grow old and infirm. Indeed all materials deteriorate with the passage of time in some way.
Infact the Truth known to Ko Hung was the universal fact that humans could act as agents of all desired changes. He argued that when copper can be combined with zinc to make brass and silver may be extracted from its ores then why it shouldnt be possible to make gold. However the attempts to make gold were confused by misleading appearances of many species. If something looked like gold was felt like gold weighed as much as gold and conducted heat as gold does it was taken as gold. The main deterrent against alchemists efforts to the effects was their imperfect understanding of the nature of matter itself. The secret Bernard Trevisan a15th century alchemist who spent his life and a sizable fortune in search of the secret of turning base metals into gold realized while dyeing was To make gold one must start with gold.
Infact alchemy was in essence a philosophy as their idea was that humans could strive and attain an ideal life without pain suffering or death. It was also a belief that through chemistry this ideal could be achieved since chemistry was recognized as a tool that could be used to change matter from one form into another. Alchemists were not by and large greedy crackpots trying to make a fortune from gold. Rather they were trying to reach this philosophical goal of perfection using their best available understanding that was a philosophy common to many cultures for several hundred years.
The English philosopher Francis Bacon 15611626 compared alchemy to a dyeing man who told his sons I have left some gold for you buried somewhere in our vineyard but when they dug the vineyard after getting rid of the dead body of their mysterious father in haste under obvious intentions they procured a plentiful vintage instead of gold by turning of the mould about the roots of the vines. While we dont know about the lesson the greedy sons of the deceased father could learn about the importance of work and time from this episode for chemists this harvest included a practical knowledge of processes such as distillation fermentation and such of the methods that made discovery of many elements possible. Infact the work of the alchemists created a foundation upon which we have built our modern understanding of chemical transformations and transmutations.
The word elixir is derived from the Arabic word aliksir that means potion. In the seventh century A.D. the Arabs took control of Persia North Africa and Egypt. In the process they were exposed to the culture and science of the Greeks who had previously ruled the area. In the eighth century an Arab known as Geber proposed that the four Greek elements combined to form only two elements: Sulfur and Mercury. He further suggested that sulfur and mercury could combine to form other substances such as lead which in turn could be converted into gold. He also believed that changing one substance into another required a mysterious potion that the Arabs called AlIksir a term from which the word elixir has been coined. Though there was no evidence that a magic potion ever existed alchemists continued their search for it for over a thousand years. Some alchemists dabbled in the supernatural powers and believed that a magic potion would have miraculous healing powers that bestow immortality just as others believed that a magic potion could convert base metals into gold.
Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim who was born in Europe in 1493 took the name Paracelsus as an adult after the Roman Celsus who had written a complete history of Greek science. Paracelsus became a powerful and influential alchemist who instead of being interested in transmuting lead into gold wanted to discover medicines to cure diseases. He did much to influence other physicians of the period to treat ailments using natural and synthetic drugs. Amazingly Paracelsus used to practice drugs on himself and write prescriptions that included opium for pain and poisonous mercury and other substances including antimony for other ailments.
More than anything Paracelsus desired immortality and searched constantly for a mystical elixir of life. At one point he even claimed to have found it and proclaimed he would live forever. Although he was mistaken as instead of being immortal he died at an early age before 50. Nevertheless he did leave a medical legacy. Paracelsus also recognized that coal mining was associated with lung disease and noted that head injuries produced paralysis. Moreover he correctly diagnosed that an abnormal thyroid caused mental and physiological imbalances.
About the writer: Dr.Badruddin Khan teaches Chemistry in the University of Kashmir Srinagar India.
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