STORIES
From alchemy to atom smashing
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Seeking the Philosopher’s Stone
For thousands of years, people attempted to explain changes in matter in terms of magic, religion and the occult. Or, in a word, Alchemy.
Alchemists hoped that by understanding the nature of matter and how it can change, they would discover the path to wealth and immortality. In particular they hoped to find the “Golden Elixir” or “Philosophers Stone”, a substance so pure that it would transmute ordinary metals into gold and restore youth and beauty to those who came into contact with it. The search for the “Philosopher’s Stone” continued for centuries, although there was no evidence for its existence.
Derby Museum & Art Gallery, Derbyshire, UK
The Alchymist in search of the Philosophers stone, Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-97), 1771, Painting: oil on canvas
Alchemy is a central theme in the first of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (London, 1997). A dusty book in Hogwarts’ library explains:
‘The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher’s Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The Stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. There have been many reports of the Philosopher’s Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr Nicholas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera-lover. Mr Flamel, who celebrated his 665th birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle.’
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Bloomsbury Publishing, London, 1997), p. 161.
Nicholas Flamel was actually a real person, and one of the most famous European alchemists. He was born in France in 1330, and as a young man was supposedly given a mysterious book by a stranger, written in an ancient language that took many years to decipher. Once Flamel was able to understand the book, the story goes, he was able to produce the Philosopher’s Stone. Subsequently he became fabulously wealthy; some people even believed that he was immortal.
Our modern understanding of chemistry -- as the study of matter, its composition, properties and behaviour, and how it reacts and changes -- emerged as a result of discoveries during the Scientific Revolution in the 17th century. The transition from alchemy to chemistry was slow, but a fundamental shift occurred in the late 1600s, and one of the central figures in the development of modern chemistry was the Irish-born scientist, Robert Boyle.
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