Alchemy-Forerunner of Modern Chemistry
3 min readThe Chinese were pioneers in the ancient art of alchemy.Chinese alchemy was based on the theory that the fundamental law of the universe is one of change-in other words，that everything in the universe is constantly evolving from one state to another and nothing remains permanently the same.The transformation of one metal into another by human means，therefore，was regarded simply as a particular instance of the operation of this universal natural law.
Chinese alchemy used chemical techniques to prepare elixirs，which were believed to be perfected substances that brought about personal transcendence and eternal life.Gold was the chief metal that Chinese alchemists concentrated on producing.
This was not because they were particularly desirous of wealth，but rather because they hoped to discover a means of preparing an elixir of immortality.Gold was regarded as the most suitable substance for their experimentation，as it does not rust or corrode under chemical action.They reasoned that it must，therefore，be an“immortal”mineral，which，if taken as a medicine by mortals，would endow them with similar immortality.
Knowledge of chemical changes was a means and by-product，but not the aim，of alchemy.For some practitioners the goal was hardly distinguishable from that of medicine. Others were less interested in a product that would bring health or immortality than in the alchemical process，which they designed to serve as a model of the great cycles of nature，the rhythms of the Dao. These alchemists accelerated the scale of time，using theories based on Yin-Yang，the Five Elements，and numerology，to create，in a laboratory procedure that might require a few weeks to a year，an object of mystic contemplation.Their principle was to grasp the constant patterns that underlie the phenomenal chaos of experience.The materials and apparatus of alchemy were on the whole the same as those of pharmacology，with some contributions from metalurgy and other practical chemical arts.Certain developments，such as elaborate distiling vessels，appear so exclusively in alchemical literature that they may have originated there.As in the other Chinese sciences，the motivation that led to chemical discovery was connected to the deepest values of the seekers.
The experiments of the Chinese alchemists resulted in certain inventions of great practical value for mankind.It has been suggested that gunpowder was one of them.
Chinese alchemists succeeded in persuading even emperors to try their elixirs.Among them were some who actually died from the effects！Yet，despite the mystical practices that undoubtedly entered their work，modern historians recognize that these men were often much more than were quacks.Some，indeed，ranked among the most learned scholars of their time.The 4th century’s Ge Hong，for example，is regarded as one of the fathers of modern science.His theories and those of other alchemists，though disproved today，were based upon principles which in their own age were almost universally accepted.And though they failed in their immediate purpose，their discoveries of various compounds definitely helped to increase the knowledge of mankind.Alchemy indeed was in some way the forerunner of our modern chemistry.
