The history of chemistry is brief: description, appearance and development. A short sketch of the history of the development of chemistry

The origin of the science of substances can be attributed to the era of antiquity. The ancient Greeks knew seven metals and several other alloys. Gold, silver, copper, tin, lead, iron and mercury are the substances that were known at that time. The history of chemistry began with practical knowledge. Their theoretical comprehension was first undertaken by various scientists and philosophers - Aristotle, Plato and Empedocles. The first of them believed that each of these substances can be transformed into another. He explained this by the existence of the primitive matter, which served as the beginning of all beginnings.

Ancient Philosophy

Also common was the view that the basis of each substance in the world is a combination of four elements - water, fire, earth and air. It is these forces of nature that are responsible for the transmutation of metals. Simultaneously with this in the V century. BC. E. There was a theory of atomism, the founders of which were Leucippus and his disciple Democritus. This doctrine claimed that all objects consist of the smallest particles. They were called atoms. And although this theory has not found scientific confirmation in antiquity, it is this teaching that has helped modern chemistry in modern times.

Egyptian alchemy

Approximately in the II century BC. E. The new center of science was the Egyptian Alexandria. Alchemy arose there. This discipline originated as a synthesis of Plato's theoretical ideas and practical knowledge of Hellenes. The history of chemistry of this period is characterized by an increased interest in metals. For them, a classic designation was invented in the form of planets and celestial bodies that were then known. For example, silver was depicted in the form of the moon, and iron - in the form of Mars. Since science at that time was inseparable from religion, alchemy, like any other scientific discipline, had its own god-protector (That).

One of the most significant researchers of the time was Bolos of Mendes, who wrote a treatise on "Physics and mysticism." In it, he described metals and precious stones (their properties and value). Another alchemist Zosim Panopolit in his works examined the artificial methods of obtaining gold. In general, the history of the origin of chemistry began with the search for this noble metal. Alchemists tried to get gold through experiments or magic.

The Egyptian alchemists studied not only the metals themselves, but also the ores from which they were mined. So the amalgam was discovered. It is a kind of alloy of metals with mercury, which has taken a special place in the world view of alchemists. Some considered it a primary substance. By the same period, one can mention the discovery of a method for purifying gold using lead and nitrate.

Arab discoveries

If in the Hellenistic countries the history of chemistry began, it continued several centuries later during the Arabian golden age, when scientists of the young Islamic religion were at the forefront of human science. These researchers have discovered many new substances, for example antimony or phosphorus. Most of the unique knowledge was used in medicine and pharmacy for the development of medicines and potions. An outline of the history of the development of chemistry without mentioning a philosophical stone - a mythical substance that makes it possible to turn any substance into gold, is impossible.

Around 815, the Arabian alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan formulated a mercury-sulfur theory. She explained the origin of metals in a new way. These principles have become fundamental for the alchemy of not only the Arab but also the European school.

European alchemists of the Middle Ages

Thanks to the Crusades and greater contact between the West and the East, Christian scholars finally learned about the discoveries of Muslims. Since the XIII century, it was the Europeans who took a confident leadership position in the research of substances. The history of the chemistry of the Middle Ages owes much to Roger Bacon, Albert the Great, Raymond Lully, and so on.

Unlike Arab science, European studies were imbued with the spirit of Christian mythology and religion. The main centers of study of substances were monasteries. One of the first major achievements of monks was the discovery of ammonia. He was received by the famous theologian Bonaventure. The discoveries of the alchemists had little to do with the society until Roger Bacon described the gunpowder in 1249. Over time, this substance produced a revolution on the battlefields and in the ammunition of the armies.

In the 16th century, alchemy received a push as a medical discipline. The most famous are the works of Paralesses, who discovered many medicines.

New time

Reformation and the onset of modern times could not but affect chemistry. She more and more got rid of religious shades, becoming an empirical and experimental science. The pioneer of this direction was Robert Boyle, who set a goal for chemistry - to find as many chemical elements as possible, and to study their composition and properties.

In 1777, Antoine Lavoisier formulated the oxygen theory of combustion. It became the foundation for the creation of a new scientific nomenclature. The history of chemistry, briefly described in his textbook "Elementary Course of Chemistry", made a jerk. Lavoisier compiled a new table of elementary elements, based on the law of conservation of mass. Changed ideas and concepts about the nature of substances. Now chemistry has become an independent rational science, based only on experiments and real evidence.

XIX century

At the beginning of the XIX century, John Dalton formulated the atomic theory of the structure of matter. In fact, he repeated and deepened the teachings of the ancient philosopher Democritus. In everyday life, a term such as the atomic mass appeared.

With the discovery of new laws, the history of the development of chemistry has gained new impetus. Briefly, at the turn of the XVIII and XIX centuries. There were mathematical and physical theories, which easily and logically explained the diversity of substances on the planet. The discovery of Dalton was confirmed when the Swedish scientist Jens Jacob Berzelius connected the atoms with the polarity of electricity. He also introduced the familiar notation of substances in the form of Latin letters.

Atomic mass

In 1860, chemists from all over the world at the congress in Krlsruhe recognized the fundamental atomic-molecular theory that Stanislao Cannizzaro proposed. With its help, the relative mass of oxygen was calculated. Thus, the history of chemistry (it is very difficult to describe it briefly) has gone a long way in a few dozen years.

Relative atomic mass allowed to systematize all the elements. In the XIX century, there were many options for how to do it most conveniently and practically. But it was the Russian scientist Dmitry Mendeleyev who succeeded best. Its periodic system of elements, proposed in 1869, became the foundation for modern chemistry.

Modern chemistry

A few decades later, an electron and the phenomenon of radioactivity were discovered . This confirmed the old assumptions about the divisibility of the atom. In addition, these findings gave impetus to the development of boundary discipline between chemistry and physics. There were mock-ups of the structure of the atom.

A brief sketch of the history of the development of chemistry can not do without a reference to quantum mechanics. This discipline influenced the ideas about the connections within the substance. There are new methods for analyzing scientific knowledge and theories. These were various variations of spectroscopy and the use of X-rays.

In recent years, the history of the development of chemistry, briefly described above, was marked by great results in conjunction with biology and medicine. New substances are actively used in modern medicines, etc. The structure of proteins, DNA and other important elements inside living organisms was studied. A brief sketch of the history of the development of chemistry can be ended by the discovery of all new substances in the periodic table, which are obtained experimentally.