Chemistry - How it All Began

The earliest attempts to explain natural phenomena led to curious inventions, myths and fantasized notions - but not to understanding.

Around 600 B.C., a group of Greek philosophers stimulated by social and cultural changes and curiosity, sought out answers to the questions about the world around them. Frustrated by the lack of facts and un-proven myths and theories they realized they were able to discover basic truths of nature through experiments.

Between 600 B.C. and 400 B.C., known as The Golden Age of Philosophy, Greek philosophers believed they could find a single substance from which everything else was made. Thales believed that it was water and air. Empedocles' idea was that the universe is made of four elements namely earth, air, fire and water.

The period from 440 B.C and 420 B.C. was known as The Age of Atomism when Leucippus and Democritus believed that matter was made of smallest particle, which they called Atom, a particle that could not be seen. Two thousand years later scientists proved that this idea was true.

The Greek philosophers unrelentingly searched for truth, while the Greeks were studying philosophy and mathematics, the Egyptians were practicing the art of chemistry. They were mining and purifying metals like gold, silver and copper. They were making embalming fluids and dyes. They called this the art Khemia. This Egyptian word became the Arabic word Alkhemia and then the English word Alchemy.

Alchemists tried to find The Philosopher's Stone, the alleged cure for all diseases, and the Elixir of Life, which would prolong life indefinitely. They failed in both attempts but along the way, they discovered acetic acid, nitric acid, ethyl alcohol and other substances used by chemists today.