Alchemy Unit 7: Corpuscles

The Decline of Alchemy and the Rise of Chymistry

- Poor reputation and swindling

- Atlantic World Exploration

- Printing Press

- Rise of technical training/schools, pamphlets, and texts

- Learned Societies (Academie des Sciences, The Royal Society, etc.)

Vannoccio Biringuccio (1480 - 1539) - Siena

- Wrote De la pirotechnia (published posthumously)

- First printed book on metallurgy

- Discusses smelting ores, bell making, casting, explosives

Georgius Agricola (1494 -1555) - Saxony

- Wrote De re metallica

- Twelve books on mining, geology, water power, surveying

- Openly skeptical of transmutation and unimpressed by Paracelsus

Andres Libau Libavius (b. ~1550 - 1616) Halle

- Physician; studied at University of Wittenberg and Jena

- Wrote Alchymia, perhaps the first chemistry textbook 2000 pages with 200 illustrations

- Details procedures for preparing aqua regia, vitriolic acid, muriatic acid

- Describes equipment, furnaces, crucibles

- Outlines the design of the perfect laboratory

Rene Descartes (1596-1650) - Centre, Val de Loires

- Father of analytical geometry

- Mechanistic philosopher

- Apart from the soul, the Universe is a big machine.

- The Universe is filled with mathematically pure qualities (length, depth, mass, motion, time).

- Combination of these qualities provide matter's physical form.

- Composition derived from physical entanglement of matter.

- Three elements by shape (irregular, massive and solid, long and thin).

- Rejects the idea of a vacuum; "how can one measure what is not there?"

- Large matter is terrestrial, subtle matter is celestial, fine matter is light.

Pierre Gassendi (1592 - 1655) Provence

- Priest, astronomer, philosopher, and mathematician.

- Asserts Epicurianism philosophy of atoms over Aristotelian physics.

- Argues that it is not possible to have infinite indivisibility.

- Abandons Aristotle's inexplicable forms and qualities.

- Requires the acceptance of the vacuum.

- An Atomist: matter/atoms/corpuscles are fit together into little "seeds" that can organize into uniform shapes.

- The properties of bulk matter explained by size, shape, and motion.

Johann Joachim Becher (1635-1682) (Speyer)

- Founder of a technical school. Alchemist and Natural Philosopher.

- 1669: published Physica subterranea (monist claims).

- He believed that the prima materia was earth (Air was not a part of minerals. Fire was an agent only).

- Minerals grew from seeds in the earths. Proposed the three earths.

The three earths

Proposed by Becher

1. Terra Fluida (mercurous);

fluidity, volatility, metallicity

2. Terra pinqua (fatty earth); oily, sulfurous, combustible

3. Terra lapideous (vitreous); fusibility

Georg Ernst Stahl (1660-1734) Brandenberg (becomes Prussia)

- Professor of Medicine at University of Halle (Saxony)

- Adapts Becher's theory and makes it relevant to chemistry.

- Proposed four types of corpuscles: water and three earths. Terra fluida, terra lapideous, and phlogiston (formerly known as terra pinqua).

- These corpuscles combine to form secondary principles by mutual affinity, like gold, silver, or calxes.

- These principles combine to form mixts (metals or compounds).

- Mixts combine to form higher mixts (salts).

Phlogiston

Pervasive concept that served as an explanation for combustion. Flammable materials must contain phlogiston that can be released.

Robert Boyle (1627-1691)

- Influenced by Lucretius, Gassendi, Descartes. Trained (partially) under George Starkey.

- In 1661, published a tract called the Sceptical Chymist (argument in dialogue among a Sceptic, an Aristotelian, a Paracelsian, and a neutral).

- Uses the characters to ask questions: if burning wood can cause a break down into the four elements, why doesn't heating a metal?

- Smoke is a mixture, water holds salts, air is mixed bodies. These are not elements.

Robert Boyle (2)

- How can blood be a fundamental humour (element)? (It can be separated into spirits, oils, phelgm, salts, and earth).

- How can there be different kinds of fire?

- Plants can't grow in just water. Water can't make scents or flavors or colors!

- The Sceptical Chymist didn't explain his own theories or offer alternatives.

- Eventually favored corpuscular theory.

- Thought of seeds that fit together the corpuscles into little masses with uniform shapes.

- Positive reputation made him an ambassador between practical chemists and mechanical philosophers.

- Raised social and intellectual status of the "workers by fire." Reduced their proneness to secrecy.

Robert Hooke (1635-1703)

- Boyle's assistant and collaborator.

- Known for pioneering work with the microscope (microphagia).

- Sees images that evoke ideas of particles, composition, and organization.

- Accepts a world of the infinitely small.

- Contributes to idea of corpuscles.

Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

- Alchemist (his papers only recently released)

- Astronomer, mathematician, founder of calculus, physics (theory of gravity)

- Contributions to matter theory...

- Gravitational phenomenon of bulk planetary matter may explain corpuscle binding.

- In bulk matter, would explain chemical affinities

- Short-ranged attractive powers that vary in strength and affect stability.

- Known to have received a sample of Boyle's Philosopher's stone and his notebooks for its creation.