Oct 22, 2025 04:48 PM
(This post was last modified: Oct 22, 2025 05:04 PM by C C.)
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03309-9
INTRO: When physicist Ernest Rutherford and chemist Frederick Soddy discovered nuclear transmutation — the natural decay of one radioactive element into another — in 1901, Rutherford’s first cry was of alarm, not delight. “For Mike’s sake, Soddy,” he chastised his co-worker. “Don’t call it transmutation, they’ll have our heads off as alchemists!”
Alchemy’s reputation hasn’t improved much since — it remains one of the most misunderstood aspects of science history. For most people, alchemy conjures up images of complex charts and mythical ingredients such as the philosopher’s stone, which could turn lead into gold or create the elixir of life.
In his latest book, Alchemy, science writer Philip Ball portrays the practice instead as “one of the most versatile, allusive, and fertile products of the human imagination”. He deftly recounts its 4,000 years of history — starting with the skilled artisans of Ancient Egypt and the immortality-seeking medical practitioners of China’s Western Han dynasty (202 bc–ad 9), although the practice originated before this period — picking out changing beliefs, famous works and personalities along the way.
Ball’s eclectic knowledge of chemistry, his insatiable curiosity and his willingness to venture off well-beaten paths make him an excellent guide. To his credit, the book steadfastly refuses to align itself with aspects of alchemy that are overly practical (apparatus and temperature-control methods) or esoteric, and it doesn’t espouse outdated ideas. Historians of science don’t give much credence to the views of psychiatrist Carl Jung, for example, who professed that alchemical symbolism was a reflection of psychological desires. New Age thinking that alchemy is about spiritual transformation rather than scientific effort is less interesting than what alchemy really is.
Indeed, alchemy meant many things to different groups and schools of thought, and its story was one of chemical progress and faith-based mystery. Ball picks out several pivotal characters to show how their disparate goals, views and personalities acted as a prism for how they saw the ‘noble art’. Famous practitioners are featured, such as physicist Isaac Newton, and several individuals who are often overlooked in science history... (MORE - details)
INTRO: When physicist Ernest Rutherford and chemist Frederick Soddy discovered nuclear transmutation — the natural decay of one radioactive element into another — in 1901, Rutherford’s first cry was of alarm, not delight. “For Mike’s sake, Soddy,” he chastised his co-worker. “Don’t call it transmutation, they’ll have our heads off as alchemists!”
Alchemy’s reputation hasn’t improved much since — it remains one of the most misunderstood aspects of science history. For most people, alchemy conjures up images of complex charts and mythical ingredients such as the philosopher’s stone, which could turn lead into gold or create the elixir of life.
In his latest book, Alchemy, science writer Philip Ball portrays the practice instead as “one of the most versatile, allusive, and fertile products of the human imagination”. He deftly recounts its 4,000 years of history — starting with the skilled artisans of Ancient Egypt and the immortality-seeking medical practitioners of China’s Western Han dynasty (202 bc–ad 9), although the practice originated before this period — picking out changing beliefs, famous works and personalities along the way.
Ball’s eclectic knowledge of chemistry, his insatiable curiosity and his willingness to venture off well-beaten paths make him an excellent guide. To his credit, the book steadfastly refuses to align itself with aspects of alchemy that are overly practical (apparatus and temperature-control methods) or esoteric, and it doesn’t espouse outdated ideas. Historians of science don’t give much credence to the views of psychiatrist Carl Jung, for example, who professed that alchemical symbolism was a reflection of psychological desires. New Age thinking that alchemy is about spiritual transformation rather than scientific effort is less interesting than what alchemy really is.
Indeed, alchemy meant many things to different groups and schools of thought, and its story was one of chemical progress and faith-based mystery. Ball picks out several pivotal characters to show how their disparate goals, views and personalities acted as a prism for how they saw the ‘noble art’. Famous practitioners are featured, such as physicist Isaac Newton, and several individuals who are often overlooked in science history... (MORE - details)