The Practical Advancement of Chemistry during the 16^th Century

With regards to chemistry, the 16^th century is said to be “one in which the technological branch of the science progressed while the theoretical side remained relatively inactive”. Normally this would be considered a setback. However, the theoretical side of chemistry that had emerged from the 14^th and 15^th centuries was one of alchemical ideas, with the transmutation of gold at its heart. Probierbüchlein, a mining and mineral book written in German that focused on assaying, was responsible for an incredible step forward for science. It was the first book of its kind that stressed the importance of quantitative measurements, specifically the use of a balance. Alchemists had no mention of a method of quantitatively stating any portion of their experiments. The importance of quantitative measurements was cemented when Giovanbattista della Porta, while describing his methods of distilling the oils that are required for perfume, published his yields. The next step forward for chemistry came from Paracelsus. Paracelsus developed the idea of iatrochemistry, or the use of alchemy to prepare medicines, which he referred to as arcana. This was a major step away from what had been considered the major principle of alchemy, which was the understanding and ability to replicate transmutation. Paracelsus went through the process to form salts from metals. These “new” mineral substances that had been created lead to an enormous increase in the number of available remedies that could be used to treat diseases. This actually stimulated the search for new remedies, which ultimately hastened the pace for the discovery of new chemical substances [1].

References

[1]. H.M. Leicester. The Historical Background of Chemistry, Dover Publications, Inc., New York, USA, (1971) pp. 84-100.