Post by Islamic Revival on Aug 10, 2004 12:58:29 GMT -5
Muslims made many advancements in the field of Chemistry. They introduced a novel criteria for distinguishing between substances. They classified substances into three categories: Spirits, metals and bodies. Muslims were pioneers in classification of substances according to their characteristics. The renaissance scientists who followed the Muslims, continued to develop increasingly complex and accurate classifications of substances. However, they did this by using the classification system that Muslims had pioneered several hundred years back.
Jabir bin Hayyan, generally known as the "Father of Chemistry" conducted many investigations that helped bring about an understanding of how substances combine to form compounds. He also discovered new techniques for refining metals, preparing steel, dyeing cloth and leather, distilling vinegar to form acetic acid and using manganese dioxide in the manufacture of glass. Jabir was also able to crystallize some compounds, thereby obtaining them in pure form; this made possible more effective chemical investigation, which depends on checmical purity. Many of Jabir's Arabic terms like alkali, antimony, alembic and aludel passed into European languages.
Another scientist who made a major contribution to chemistry was the great physician Ar Razi. Of the 12 books Razi wrote on Alchemy, the best known is "The Book of the Secret of Secrets". In this book, Razi outlined the chemicals and equipment needed in a medieval alchemy laboratory. Razi's books on alchemy that described the equipment to be used in the laboratories were used as a guide throughout the renaissance. Many pieces of equipment that he mentioned continue to remain standard equipment and with some improvement, are found in chemical laboratories even today.
Muslims were also able to develop the idea of specific gravity quite well, obtaining fairly correct results for gold, lead, copper, etc. They developed the processes of crystallization and precipitation, distillation and sublimation, and were thereby able to obtain a number of substances in a state of comparative purity like mercury, ammonia, alum, soda, borax, arsenic, and antimony.Jabir bin Hayyan has recorded all this knowledge in his books written in and around 776 C.E. He can also be considered the pioneer of applied chemistry, as he has described many useful practical applications of chemistry like "refinement of metals, preparation of steel, dyeing of cloth and leather, varnishes to waterproof cloth and protect iron, use of manganese dioxide to colour glass, and of iron pyrites for writing in gold and distillation of vinegar to concentrate acetic acid."
(Sarton, Muslim Contribution to Science and Culture, pg 49)
reproduced from 2004 Calendar by PharmEvo.
pharmevo@cyber.net.pk
Jabir bin Hayyan, generally known as the "Father of Chemistry" conducted many investigations that helped bring about an understanding of how substances combine to form compounds. He also discovered new techniques for refining metals, preparing steel, dyeing cloth and leather, distilling vinegar to form acetic acid and using manganese dioxide in the manufacture of glass. Jabir was also able to crystallize some compounds, thereby obtaining them in pure form; this made possible more effective chemical investigation, which depends on checmical purity. Many of Jabir's Arabic terms like alkali, antimony, alembic and aludel passed into European languages.
Another scientist who made a major contribution to chemistry was the great physician Ar Razi. Of the 12 books Razi wrote on Alchemy, the best known is "The Book of the Secret of Secrets". In this book, Razi outlined the chemicals and equipment needed in a medieval alchemy laboratory. Razi's books on alchemy that described the equipment to be used in the laboratories were used as a guide throughout the renaissance. Many pieces of equipment that he mentioned continue to remain standard equipment and with some improvement, are found in chemical laboratories even today.
Muslims were also able to develop the idea of specific gravity quite well, obtaining fairly correct results for gold, lead, copper, etc. They developed the processes of crystallization and precipitation, distillation and sublimation, and were thereby able to obtain a number of substances in a state of comparative purity like mercury, ammonia, alum, soda, borax, arsenic, and antimony.Jabir bin Hayyan has recorded all this knowledge in his books written in and around 776 C.E. He can also be considered the pioneer of applied chemistry, as he has described many useful practical applications of chemistry like "refinement of metals, preparation of steel, dyeing of cloth and leather, varnishes to waterproof cloth and protect iron, use of manganese dioxide to colour glass, and of iron pyrites for writing in gold and distillation of vinegar to concentrate acetic acid."
(Sarton, Muslim Contribution to Science and Culture, pg 49)
reproduced from 2004 Calendar by PharmEvo.
pharmevo@cyber.net.pk