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Chris King

Newton's quest 
It is difficult for us to take alchemy seriously today. Hardly anyone believes it is possible to turn lead into gold or to make people live forever. 
But until a couple of hundred years ago, many people thought alchemy was a serious business. Take for example, famous British scientist Isaac Newton (1649-1727). He came up with the Universal Theory of Gravitation and the Laws of Motion. But he also took alchemy very seriously.
Newton studied ancient Greek texts, and continued his quest for the  philosopher's stone. Nobody is sure what he found because most of his notes were lost in a fire in his laboratory - probably caused by an alchemy experiment. He also had a nervous breakdown. Some people say it may have been caused by his experiments with mercury, which poisons  the brain.
The philosopher?s stone
The word ?alchemy? is a mix of ancient Greek and Arabic. It refers to ancient Egypt. Al Khem means ?of Egypt?. But, people all over the world have practised alchemy.
In Europe, it was the quest for the philosopher?s stone. The philosopher?s stone was not really a stone. It was a substance which supposedly had the power to do what all alchemists wanted - to turn metal into gold and give life forever, or ?immortality?. It is not really right to compare alchemy with modern chemistry. This is because the aim of alchemy was to turn one metal into another.
Most European alchemists thought it was possible to turn lead into gold. But through their experiments people learned many other useful things - though we still have to dig gold out of the ground or pan for it in rivers.
In China
As the Egyptians, Greeks and Europeans carried out their experiments, so did the Chinese. 
Ancient China was very much closed to the outside world, so nobody knew what they were doing.  But Chinese, usually Taoist, alchemists seeking  the elixir - or substance - of immortality discovered gunpowder.
They also found  treatments for illnesses. These treatments became part of Chinese traditional medicine.
Now do this ...
1 The English word 'alchemy' comes from ...
a. Greece 
b. Egypt 
c. Rome
2 Many alchemists thought ... could be turned into gold.
a. stone 
b. gunpowder 
c. lead
3  Isaac Newton had a nervous breakdown, probably caused by his experiments with ...
a. mercury 
b. lead 
c. gunpowder
Answers:
June 23
1. a, 2. c, 3. b



Alchemy