The History Of The Science Of Chemistry

The earliest recorded use of what would now be considered the science of chemistry dates back to 1000 BC when early human civilizations began to look closely at how material could be transformed using heat, pressure and chemical reactions. Although not called chemistry, early groups learned to combine different compounds and elements in nature to create new and unique processes and materials. This included creating metals out of ore and making different types of food such as beer, wine, cheese and materials such as glass.
The first scientists in the early Greek, Roman, Chinese, Indian and Mayan cultures thought that all materials in the physical earth were composed of base elements that included air, water, fire and earth. From this basic start more specified branches of pseudo chemistry arose, including the famous study of alchemy. In these early chemistry pursuits the goal was to find a way to turn all metals into gold and to find a material that would grant eternal life.
By the mid 1500′s many chemists had come forward to debunk the process of alchemy but used the information to begin to systematically name various elements and compounds and record the specifics of various chemical reactions. From this research came some of the current understanding of chemistry including Boyle’s Law, the atomic theory of matter, Dalton’s law and virtually all the foundation for the modern science of chemistry.