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

The origin of the science of substances can be attributed tothe 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

It was also common thatThe 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 teaching 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 classical designation was invented in the form of planets and celestial bodies that were then known. For example, silver was represented in the form of the moon, and iron - in the form of Mars. Since science was inseparable from religion at that time, alchemy, like any other scientific discipline, had its patron god (Thoth).

One of the most significanttime was Bolos of Mendes, who wrote a treatise "Physics and mysticism." In it he described metals and precious stones (their properties and value). Another alchemist Zosim Panopolit in his works investigated 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.

Egyptian alchemists studied not only themselvesmetals, 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 worldview of alchemists. Some considered it to be the 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 chemistrybegan, 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 Arab alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyanformulated 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 morecontact between the West and the East, Christian scholars finally learned about the discoveries of Muslims. From the XIII century, it was the Europeans who took a confident leadership position in the research of substances. The history of medieval chemistry owes much to Roger Bacon, Albert the Great, Raimund Lully, and so on.

Unlike Arab science, Europeanthe studies were imbued with the spirit of Christian mythology and religion. Monasteries became the main centers for the study of substances. One of the first serious achievements of the monks was the discovery of ammonia. He received the famous theologian Bonaventura. The discoveries of alchemists did not affect society much until Roger Bacon described gunpowder in 1249. Over time, this substance made a revolution on the battlefields and in the ammunition of armies.

In the 16th century, alchemy received an impetus as a medical discipline. The works of Paralces, who discovered many drugs, are best known.

New time

The Reformation and the onset of the New Age could notDo not touch and chemistry. She increasingly got rid of religious nuances, becoming an empirical and experimental science. The pioneer of this direction was Robert Boyle, who set a specific goal for chemistry - to find as many chemical elements as possible, and also to study their composition and properties.

In 1777, Antoine Lavoisier formulatedoxygen 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 in Chemistry," made a breakthrough. Lavoisier compiled a new table of the simplest 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 substances. In fact, he repeated and deepened the teachings of the ancient philosopher Democritus. In everyday life, there was such a term as atomic mass.

With the discovery of new laws, a new impetus has been gained.history of the development of chemistry. In short, at the turn of the XVIII and XIX centuries. there were mathematical and physical theories that easily and logically explained the diversity of substances on the planet. Dalton's discovery was confirmed when Swedish scientist Jens Jakob Berzelius connected atoms with the polarity of electricity. He also introduced the usual designations of substances in the form of Latin letters today.

Atomic mass

In 1860, chemists around the world at a congress inKrlsruhe recognized the fundamental atomic-molecular theory proposed by Stanislao Cannizzaro. With its help, the relative mass of oxygen was calculated. So the history of chemistry (it is very difficult to describe it briefly) has gone a long way in a few decades.

Relative atomic mass allowedsystematize all the elements. In the 19th century, many options were proposed for how to do this in the most convenient and practical way. But best of all, the Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleev succeeded. His periodic system of elements, proposed in 1869, became the foundation for modern chemistry.

Modern chemistry

After a few decades, the electron was discoveredand the phenomenon of radioactivity. This confirmed the long-standing assumption about the divisibility of the atom. In addition, these discoveries gave impetus to the development of the boundary discipline between chemistry and physics. Appeared models of the structure of the atom.

A brief sketch of the history of the development of chemistry can notdo without mentioning quantum mechanics. This discipline influenced ideas about connections within a substance. New methods for analyzing scientific knowledge and theories have appeared. These were different variations of spectroscopy and the use of x-rays.

In recent years, the history of the development of chemistry, brieflyThe above described 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 has been investigated. A brief sketch of the history of the development of chemistry can be completed by discovering all the new substances in the periodic table, which are obtained experimentally.